As secretary treasurer of this vast school district I was also responsible for several small schools located in rural areas of this north coast region. Quatsino, a small community, nestled along the shores of an inlet bearing the same name was only accessible by boat. As in most of these outlying areas, the main center of community interest was the two classroom school and the even smaller Anglican Church. In the late fall of 1970, a light skim of ice, similar to the one now on my bird bath, trapped me in the inlet and stopped my return to civilization. Ice had formed on the fresh water surface of the salt-water bay fed by a small stream. The skim of ice was enough to slice through the hull of a wooden boat, like a knife through butter.
I was a young school district business administrator. My school district encompassed more than 9,000 square miles. It was my responsibility to visit all the small isolated schools throughout the outlying district. Unable to return home, I was graciously accommodated in a private home. The community had no operating hotel, motel or B&B at that time. A spare bedroom in a small bungalow owned by a retired couple was kindly offered. The Anglican priest had given me directions to the home of one of his parishioners.
“They remind me a great deal of of my blood relatives in England,” he told me.
“Actually what I mean to say is one of my bloody relatives” he said with more than a twinkle in his eye. A brief walk down a rutted lane that wound along the edge of the cove brought me to a clearing with a beautiful cottage snuggled between a rocky outcropping and a large pile of beached driftwood.
A knock on the door brought a “hulloo its open, come in please” from inside. After introductions were made I was shown to a large stuffed, leather covered chair overlooking the expanse of the Sound. A large cold bottle of outstanding home-brewed beer was produced by the elderly owner and together we enjoyed it in front of a blazing open fire. The lady of the house was an accomplished cook and the home bore the aroma of freshly baked bread. The charming woman told me that winter bread bakes best.
She said it was because the yeast worked better when going from a chilly unheated pantry to the warmth of the baking area next to the old, cast iron woodstove. I’ve never investigated the validity of her claim but can attest to the incredible loaves of bread that graced her kitchen table the next morning. There is nothing quite so invigorating as rising, no pun intended, to the aroma of baked bread.
A large cast iron skillet of sizzling sausages, fluffy scrambled eggs with shredded smoked salmon steaming on a white china platter and massive slices of toasted potato bread with home preserved goose berry jam was a breakfast banquet I will never forget. Sadly, the day warmed and the ice melted in the cove so I was no longer trapped in paradise.
Quatsino Potato Bread
1 lg. potato 1
1/3 cup hot water 75 ml
1 pkg. yeast 1
1/2 cup warm milk 50 ml
2 Tbsp. brown sugar 30 ml
1/3 cup butter 75 ml
1 Tbsp. salt 15 ml
1/3 cup brown sugar 75 ml
1/2 cup skim milk powder 125 ml
2 eggs lightly beaten 2
3 cups sifted flour 750 ml
1 1/2 tsp. cardamom 7 ml
Wash and peel potato. Dice finely and cook covered in water over medium heat in a small saucepan. Dissolve yeast in warmed milk with sugar. In a large mixing bowl, add butter, salt, sugar and milk powder. When potato is cooked, drain any remaining liquid into mixing bowl and push well-mashed potato through a sieve into the bowl. Mix contents of bowl until smooth. Stir in yeast and beaten eggs. Incorporate sifted flour and cardamom by beating well. Beat for about two minutes. Dough should be firm but not stiff. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead well for five minutes, adding flour to keep from sticking. Place dough back into bowl and let rise in a warm place out of drafts until double in size. When nicely risen, beat down and shape into one loaf of bread or two small ones, depending on the size of your pans. Place loaf into lightly oiled pan. Cover and let rise again in a warm place. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 F, continuing to bake for a total of about 30 minutes or until a hollow sound comes from tapping on loaf.
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