RICE LOAF
Source: The Old West Baking Book by Lon Walters

Rice wasn't widely used in the Old West until late in the history of range cooking. It wasn't that it didn‘t taste great; it‘s just that few knew how to prepare it. Many entertaining stories tell of cooks placing two or three handfuls in a small pot and the resulting expansive mess flowing all over the campfire. When cooks finally cracked the code on portion control, they blended rice with many other ingredients. The 'swamp seed,' as it was termed, was versatile and tasty. This is an example of one of its many uses. It’s also one of the nicest-textured loaves in the entire quick bread family.

1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups cooked rice
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 7-inch loaf pan or muffin cups.

Blend egg, milk, and melted butter. Stir in rice until well mixed.

In a separate bowl, blend baking powder, sugar, salt, and flour. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir just enough to blend, about 20 seconds at the most. There will be lumps, but that’s OK. Pour into buttered 7-inch loaf pan, or use muffin cups and fill to two-thirds full.

Place into preheated 400 degree F oven and bake until tops are rounded, cracked, and brown, about 15-18 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Serve hot, cold, or in between; they work well at any temperature.

VARIATIONS:
- Add 1/2 cup raisins with the rice.

- For a 'ricier' taste, add 1/2 cup of rice flour and reduce the all-purpose by the same amount.

- A teaspoon of orange bits (or grated orange peel) added with the dry ingredients, or a tablespoon of orange marmalade added with the wet ingredients, creates a nice zip.