My mother's family were of German decent, with several major moves in their history. There are few details of her grandparent's move from Germany to southern Russia, during the reign of Catherine The Great, but we were told of the importance of the toasted buns which were, and still are, a special treat. In preparation for their long journey, they believed that to stay healthy, it was importance to bring a supply of drinking water with them as well as an abundance of homemade buns, toasted so that they wouldn't spoil.
Mother frequently made toasted buns but I was never much for helping in the kitchen during my school years. All I had to say was that I needed to practice my piano lesson, and I would be excused from kitchen duty because Mother loved to hear me play the piano. My interest in cooking began to increase when I started my first job after graduating from nursing school. I rented a small basement suite and I had my own kitchen, and a recipe book from my mother.
Making toasted buns would be a two-day project, first to prepare the dough, roll the dough shaped like 'fingers', to rise in bread pans, and baked in the oven. I can still remember the aroma of fresh baked bread.
When the bread had cooled, or on the next day, the buns were carefully pulled apart and arranged on baking pans and dried in the oven, until they were a golden brown, at a temperature of no more than 150 degrees of heat. There was a disproportion of butter in the dough which contributed to the rich golden color of the buns, and they would never get moldy.
German cuisine was foreign to my husband and we developed our own mutually enjoyable menus. However, any opportunity to visit relatives on the farm, or when my favorite aunt came to visit, she was always more than happy to take over my kitchen to make a good supply of toasted buns or fruit kuchen for us to enjoy.
I took these photos on one of those visits.
Tags: Tradition Baking Memories Throwback
