Community members reaching for a slice of Betsy Conlon’s Swedish bread. Photo by Annalisa Madonia

Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Winooski News

Winooskians circled around folding tables inside the senior center for a show-and-tell with some levity: They were listening to fellow residents’ personal histories with bread and baking.

Sourdough, brown bread, Swedish bread, bread pudding and Irish soda bread all featured last Sunday at Winooski Rising, an event hosted by the Winooski Historical Society to share recipes and treats. 

Sue O’Brien, who organized the event, is the co-vice president of the Winooski Historical Society and deeply involved with the community. “I know Sue from the gardening club,” said resident Ariana Cano. “She’s like a pillar of Winooski.”

O’Brien made steamed brown bread for the event, bringing old brown bread cans and the pot she used to cook her loaf. She explained the unorthodox process for making brown bread, which is steamed for roughly two hours instead of baked. She shared samples — as well as a recipe from her Grandma Carter, the inspiration behind the loaf. 

“Grandma would always have it for the holidays,” she said. 

Grandma Carter’s brown bread is steamed in a pot on the stove rather than baked in an oven. Photo by Annalisa Madonia

Vince Feeney, a retired University of Vermont history professor, was similarly motivated by his family history, bringing Irish soda bread. Feeney was inspired by his cousin Julia Murphy’s recipe, which he used to eat growing up in California. 

A quick bread leavened with baking soda, Irish soda bread is not ordinarily found on U.S. tables. “I don’t think you see much soda bread in restaurants,” Feeney said. 

He brought a loaf and a half of craggy soda bread to the event, full of raisins and caraway seeds, which he said is best eaten with a cup of tea or coffee. Feeney makes a loaf for special occasions, saying that “it’s not an everyday bread.” 

Vince Feeney’s Irish soda bread. Photo by Annalisa Madonia

Some of the bakers said they picked up the hobby for reasons other than family history, like Trevor Thomas, a project manager at GlobalFoundries, who began his sourdough journey during the pandemic.

Inspired by the influx of home bakers, and confident with his background in chemistry, Trevor figured he would give sourdough a shot. 

Initially met with limited success in making a naturally leavened loaf, Thomas proudly shared his sesame-crusted sourdough boule with attendees during the May 5 event.

“It’s definitely the best one I ever baked,” he said.