SOURDOUGH BREAD ROYAL SCOTS GREYS

This famous group of hard fighting men was started in Scotland in 1678 and derives it 
name from the color of its coats -- medium gray.  These soldiers rode grey horses for a 
great many years and were the 1st Royal Dragoons, the last regiment to give up their 
horses in Palestine in 1940.  As the Scots Dragoons they served under William III in 
Flanders.  In 1782 as the Grey Dragoons they fought in the low countries.  In 1736 the 
regiment bore the title of the Royal North British Dragoons which it retained under strong 
protest until March 1877 when they became the 2nd Dragoons Royal Scots Greys.  This 
regiment did not want the word "British" in their name as they were Scots.  At Waterloo 
Napoleon referred to the greys as "ces terribles chvaux gris", those terrible grey horses 
because of their terrifying fighting ability.  Their long roll of battle honours also shows 
service in the Crimean war, South African 1899 to 1902 and in World War I.  In World 
War II they were an armoured regiment in the western desert, Italy and Northwest 
Europe.  They are now called "the household cavalry of Scotland".

In all of their centuries of fighting they have never been beaten.  Quite a record for any 
fighting unit.

For a long time the regiment bread was a Sourdough Oatmeal Bread.  Here is the recipe 
with quick cooking oats substituted for cooked oats.

Put 4 cups of bubbling sourdough starter into a large mixing bowl.  Add three cups of 
flour and two cups of quick cooking oats and 2 cups of scalded milk cooled to lukewarm.  
Mix together well, cover with a damp warm towel and let raise in a warm place, 
preferably a covered box, for 15 to 36 hours depending on how much tang and aroma you 
want in the finished bread.

Mix 2 level tablespoons of butter or shortening, 2 level tablespoons of sugar, 2 level 
teaspoons of salt and 1/4 cup of honey in a bowl.  Mix these ingredients well into the 
dough.  Cover the dough with a damp warm cloth and let the dough rise for 35 minutes.

Stir the dough until it goes down.  Add about one cup of flour and stir the dough with a 
cooking spoon until the dough is too stiff to stir.  Put dough on a floured board and kneed 
with the base of your hands about 100 times until the dough is smooth and light.

Shape into loaves and put into warm greased bread pans filling the bread pans about half 
full.  Grease the tops of the loaves with butter or shortening.  Cover with a warm damp 
cloth and put in a warm place, preferably in a covered box.  Let rise until double in bulk.

Heat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Always have ovens preheated when making any 
Sourdough items.  Bake for about 20 minutes.  Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake until 
medium brown and the loaves shrink away from the pans a bit.