Celebrating Black History Month: Erika Council

Erika Council is the charismatic writer and photographer behind Southern Soufflé, the blog that takes a southern-focused journey through the impact food has on community. Many of her recipes offer a twist on traditional soul food recipes. Erika has been featured in Food & Wine, The New York Times, The Local Palate Magazine, Food 52, Complex Magazine, Yahoo, Huffington Post, The Kitchn, and Yahoo, among others. She is currently working on a proposal for her debut cookbook, and we are thrilled to represent her.  Erika, who runs Atlanta biscuit pop-up Bomb Biscuits, was recently on The Splendid Table to chat with Francis Lam about her secrets to making world-class biscuits. You can hear that interview here: https://www.splendidtable.org/episode/676

Originally from North Carolina, Erika currently resides in Atlanta. She attributes her passion for food and community to her grandmothers.  One, affectionately called Dinnie, was a community champion. The other, Mildred (Dip), was a southern cooking icon and owner of Mama’s Dips Kitchen in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Erika is inspired by her heritage and the many contributions and achievements made by African Americans, such as those highlighted during Black History Month. “Black History is American History,” she said, “Those achievements help to weave the very fabric of the foundation this country sits on, and to me that should be recognized every day.”

Erika shares with us her recipe for Warm Molasses Bread, a dish that is adapted from her grandmother’s handwritten notes and that she feels best represents her because it is “a recipe with a story, one rooted in the history of North Carolina.”

You can find Erika on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

 

 

Warm Molasses Bread

 

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 1 Hr

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups self-rising flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • ½ cup molasses
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 2 eggs, beaten

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the butter, molasses, and sugar. Pour the boiling water over the molasses mixture, stirring to combine all ingredients.

Once the mixture has cooled, add in the flour mixture and the eggs, mixing to incorporate all the ingredients together.

Pour the batter into a 1lb loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour.  This bread is best served warm, but you can allow it to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

 

 

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