Grandma's Braid Bread.

Does your family have a recipe that has been passed on from generation to generation? Or is there anyone who makes something special every time there is a family gathering or special occasion?

When I think of someone or something like that, I think of my Grandma (on my mom's side) because every Christmas she makes her amazing tamales. I have yet to taste anyone's as hers. The only down side is that she lives in Arizona, so I either have to go there or she has to fly here for the holidays. I've had her show me how to make them, but I forgot to write down the recipe, she does it by memory.

For Joseph's family, it is tradition to have Grandma Moore's Braid Bread at Thanksgiving. Last year for the holidays, we stayed in California so we asked Grandma Moore if she would share her recipe with us. I made it and it turned out okay. It looked like hers, smelled like hers, but didn't taste like hers... even the texture was a little off.

So, a couple weeks after moving back to Des Moines, we asked her to show us how to make it and we would document it. I told Joseph that we should all get together and learn how to make it, so Sophie joined us and this is what we learned.

We learned that this particular recipe has been passed down from generation to generation. As we stood around her kitchen listening to every instruction, you could see and hear how dear this recipe is to her heart.

She told us how she remembers having this bread often during the Great Depression. She remembers her mom making it, the smell of it baking and then eventually learning how to make it herself.

Every detail of her recipe is important, and not written on the recipe card. She told us how she knows when the yeast is ready to be added to the flour and eggs. How it should taste, and feel after its been all mixed together.

Even the eggs had to be added and let sit for a certain time.

The thing that reminded me about my Grandma, is that like her, Grandma Moore doesn't go by the specific measurements that she has written down. There isn't a specific measurement she says, because she does the recipe based on how it feels in her hands.

"More flour" she says!

Once she feels like the dough is ready, she shows us how to knead it. And you better believe that she has her own way of doing it.

Once she shows us, Sophie and I both try it out.

Grandma Moore wasn't shy about telling us that we were doing it wrong, and re-teaches us. Explaining her pull not push-or-smush method.

Once she was satisfied with our kneading, she told us to separate the dough into (3) equal parts. We had to make them into long "ropes".

It was then time to braid the three pieces together.

...and voila! The finished unbaked product.

I would have taken a picture of the fresh out-of-the-oven product, but that was prime eating time, just warm enough to spread some butter on. And believe me, it didn't even make it off the baking sheet, it was eaten that quick!

Thank you Grandma Moore for teaching us how to make your special bread. When the day comes that you can no longer make it (which we all pray is never, or at least not anytime soon), I hope we can continue your tradition.This post is for you, love you!