I have heard stories of my daddy’s homemade doughnuts all of my life. He was a cook in the Army before he met my mom. After they married, he would make doughnuts at my grandmother’s house on the weekends for the entire family to enjoy. Apparently, he was tired of making doughnuts by the time I came along because the only doughnut memories I have are Krispy Kreme.
Syrup Sweet Bread is another legend in our family. My mother, aunts, and uncles rave about my grandmother making it. As the story goes, my grandmother would leave the fields in the afternoon and go to the house to make Syrup Sweet Bread. When it was done and still warm, she would take it back to everyone working in the fields. I can imagine that this was a wonderful treat and a welcome break.
I loved my grandmother’s cooking, but I never had the privilege of trying her Syrup Sweet Bread. I think there are a few versions of her recipe, but here’s mine. My version is slightly sweet, and I like to serve it for breakfast. My favorite ways to serve this are warm with a pat of butter and homemade apple butter or simply drizzled with a little syrup over the top for extra richness.
Like all recipes, I’m sure this recipe will not appeal to everyone. I think that maybe you have to acquire a taste for sorghum and cane syrup. My kids don’t care for it, and my friends that were not raised eating it don’t seem to like it. I think my first solid food may have been biscuits with syrup. Greg and I both consider it a treat, and we love this old recipe. I hope you do too.
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ c. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¾ c. syrup (sorghum or cane)
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick butter, melted
- ¾ c. buttermilk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet and set aside. (8 x 8 baking dish will work also.)
- In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon, set aside.
- In another bowl combine the syrup, eggs, melted butter, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Pour into the prepared skillet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.