It’s been awhile since I’ve experimented with my vintage cookbook!  My daughter and I decided to try a German Blueberry Kuchen, which the cookbook described as a “delicate, fine-grained coffee cake” that is perfect for “breakfast or dinner dessert.”  We thought it was delicious and not too sweet.  Would be wonderful with a cup of hot coffee!

Print Recipe

German Blueberry Kuchen

taken from Farm Journal's Country Cookbook

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1½ cups flour sifted
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup soft shortening or butter
• ⅔ cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp grated lemon peel
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp grated lemon peel

Instructions

• Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and ¾ cup sugar. Add shortening, milk, vanilla and ½ tsp. grated lemon peel. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, or 300 strokes by hand.
• Add the egg and beat with the mixer 2 minutes longer (200 strokes by hand).
• Turn into a greased 8" square pan.
• Lightly stir together the blueberries, 3 tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. grated lemon peel. Sprinkle over the batter in the pan.
• Bake in a moderate oven (350°) for 40 to 45 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool slightly in pan. Cut in squares and serve warm.

Check out some other recipes from “A Year of Vintage Recipes” series:
Cheese and Bacon Pie
Old Fashioned Oatmeal Bread
Sugar-Top Coffee Cake

When I was a kid, my mom used to bring home from the grocery store one of our favorite treats: Entenmann’s coffee cake!  This recipe from the Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook is my homemade tribute to that happy memory.

Previous Posts from the Year of Vintage Recipes

• a “breakfast for dinner” option: Cheese/Bacon Pie
• a Good Friday tradition: Hot Cross Buns
• a hearty bread that is great for sandwiches: Old Fashioned Oatmeal Bread
• a sweet treat, perfect for hot summer days: Crispy Sundae Crunch

In 2021, I’m working through many of the recipes in the Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook (a vintage cookbook from 1959 and revised in 1972) and sharing the ones I make on the blog. (The first recipe I made is here.)

This time, I decided to try a new bread!  I loved this introductory quote from Chapter 9:

“When a child walks into a country kitchen after school and confronts the tantalizing fragrance of homemade bread cooling on the counter top he knows he is lucky.  And when he spreads butter on a faintly warm slice of bread and tastes, he knows the true meaning of good eating.  More children today are enjoying this experience in the revival of baking yeast breads.  Young women who are rather new in this culinary art crave the satisfaction of creating something special with their hands.  And they are finding, as did their grandmothers, that kneading dough relieves frustration – and is good therapy as well! (p.230)

It’s always amazing to me that something so delicious can be made from such simple ingredients.  It’s been awhile since I’ve made any bread other than my white sandwich go-to, so I was excited to challenge myself with this more complicated oatmeal version.  A little more time intensive, but everyone found it delicious, so definitely worth the effort.

Print Recipe

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Bread

taken from Farm Journal's Country Cookbook

Servings: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
• ¼ cup brown sugar firmly packed
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• ½ cup warm water 110 to 115°
• 5 cups flour sifted
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp water
• rolled oats

Instructions

• Scald the milk. Stir in 2 cups rolled oats, brown sugar, salt and butter. Remove from the heat and cool to lukewarm.
• Sprinkle yeast on the warm water; stir to dissolve.
• Add the milk mixture and 2 cups flour to the yeast. Beat with a mixer on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, for about 2 minutes. (You can also beat with a spoon until the batter is smooth.)
• Add enough remaining flour, a little at a time, first with a spoon and then with your hands, to make a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn dough over to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 to 1½ hours. Punch down and let rise again until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Turn onto a floured surface and divide in half. Round up to make 2 balls. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Shape into loaves and place in greased 9x5x3" loaf pans. Let rise until almost doubled, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Brush the tops of the loaves with egg white beaten with water and sprinkle with rolled oats.
• Bake in a 375° oven for about 40 minutes. (If the bread starts to brown too much, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil after baking 15 minutes.)

Last year, I bought a vintage cookbook from 1959 (and then revised in 1972) called Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook. I originally chose it for décor purposes – the green cover is beautiful! – but after a peek at the recipes inside, I decided that this could be a really useful item too. In 2021, I’m hoping to work my way through many of the recipes and share with you along the way.

P.S. If you want a Country Cookbook of your own, I found this one and this one and this one for sale over on etsy! (affiliate links)

My first choice was a “breakfast for dinner” option: Cheese/Bacon Pie.  The cookbook describes this recipe as “very rich and very delicious” and we all agreed! I’d consider this one a very creamy quiche.  (I also used the crust recipe from the book, using my food processor to make the process even easier, but even a store-bought version would do.)