Lucinda Smith's ~ Shortenin' Bread !!!

Definition of Shortening bread
. . . . a fried batter bread,
the ingredients of which include
 corn meal, flour, hot water, eggs,
baking powder, milk and shortening

CivilWarTalk, a forum for questions and discussions about the American Civil War....

(this author so says.....)  donna, Oct 3, 2012 ...
We all must have sang the song, "Short'nin Bread" as children. It originated among slaves working on plantations in the early 1800s. The gist of the song is that the doctor orders short'nin bread to help heal the sick children and it does work

Short'nin bread was a treat that plantation cooks could whip up easily. It only required butter, brown sugar and flour. The word short'nin bread is actually shortbread. It had been popular in England for hundreds of years. The difference with the plantation type and the English type is the brown sugar which gave the South's short'nin bread a distinctive flavor

Short'nin Bread Recipe (recreated)

1. 
   
   

   2 cups butter

   1 cup brown sugar
   4 cups flour
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   
   1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
   2. Line a 17x 11.5 jellyroll pan with parchment, or spray with non-stick spray.
   3. In a large bowl of a mixer, cream the butter; beat in the sugar until very light and fluffy.
   Turn mixer down to low speed and add the flour and salt., mixing until smooth.
   4. Alternately, the dough may be done by hand. Make sure the butter is very soft and mix it well with the brown sugar; work the flour and salt in by hand until smooth. ( Of course, this be way plantation cook would have done it.)
   5. Press the dough evenly onto the prepared pan.
   6. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, score the dough into squares, eight on the long side of the pan by six on the shorter side.
   7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly brown.
   8. Immediately use the sharp knife to cut through the score marks into squares.
   9. Cool thoroughly before serving.

   . . . . This untitled picture is how  .... I envision my Great-grandmother Lucinda having a quiet moment!
   

   

   Lyrics to song Short'nin' Bread".

   
   

   "Three little children, lyin' in bed

   Two were sick and the other 'most dead

   Sent for the doctor and the doctor said,

   "Give those children some short'nin' bread."

   
   

   Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',

   Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread,

   Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',

   Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread.

   
   

   Put on the skillet, slip on the lid,

   Mama's gonna make a little short'nin' bread,

   That ain't all she's gonna do,

   Mama's gonna make a little coffee, too.

   
   

   

   Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',

   Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread,

   Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin,

   Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread.

   
2. My Parents.... Howard and Helen (Sipuel) Huggins (3-9-1974)

My Gal' Tippin with Tea!

Mammy lil baby luv shortnin-shortnin

mammy lil baby luv shortnin bread!

Lookin at my lil black gal....  brings a fond cuteness to mind!   "Shortnin' Bread" is the old song from the Deep South plantation.. first written by a white poet named James Whitcomb Riley not really a long time ago...in 1900 -- the year my Mama Dooley was born!  A part of the chorus is:

Fotch dat dough fum the kitchin-shed—

Rake de coals out hot an' red—

Putt on de oven an' putt on de led,—

Mammy's gwineter cook som short'nin' bread.

Later, another version of this song in 1915 - out of Tennessee... E.C. Perrow  captured the floating lyrics... here goes:

Mammy's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',

Mammy's little baby loves short'nin' bread