Sometimes when I make her soda bread and want to tell her that I have and who is coming for tea and that I have added caraway seeds to it again and listen to her likely tell me that she has added caraway in the past and have I also tried this or that – I forget that Edna Staebler is no longer accessible by phone at her home Sunfish in Waterloo, Ontario.
But I feel my 'call' has been re-routed.
It requires the simplest of ingredients and satisfying construction – kneading always brings that about – and is ready in under an hour. Oh, okay, you have to let it cool a bit before you can cut it and eat it – so add another fifteen minutes or so and 'feast' on the fragrance while you wait. It freezes beautifully (I cut it into slices first, freeze these on a baking sheet and then put into a plastic bag) and in a toaster or toaster oven it comes out as if just baked. A good Irish cheddar and some thick cut orange marmalade are favourite accompaniments with a green tea/lapsang souchong tea in a 80/20 ratio.
Thank you, Edna.