I did some googling and I finally found a blog with a recipe for the legendary bread! We knew it as plas but apparantly it was originally called Platz (German for flat) and it’s a type of bread that seems to have been popular in the 19th century in the NL/German border area. The blogger had the recipe from her grandmother born in 1918. My great-grandparents lived in that area, married in 1914 and had my grandfather in 1919. So this recipe could be the real deal! My family was known to be resistant to any change so I guess they just kept up the tradition of ordering and old-fashioned bread for nearly a century even when the rest of the world stopped eating it. I never knew this backstory, just that I didn’t ever see this bread anywhere else. The recipe is a bit similar to that of the crust of vlaai (Rijstevlaai recipe )
List for this year!
Family:
- Try to bake Platz bread or find out if the bakery is willing to bake it for me
- Gemberkoek Oma’s Dutch ginger butter cake
- My sister and I have been thinking of having plates printed with grandma’s handwritten recipes. Failed to do this last year but will hopefully do it this year.
- Maybe also copy some of the hand-written recipes into a little booklet for everyone.
- Last year I made soap and included a bar in everyone’s package, but no one specifically mentioned the soap. I liked it, Mr. Imma didn’t, maybe it wasn’t a big success. The soap was a pandemic reference and I’m done with the pandemic, so maybe it’s time for a different type of box-filler.
Mother:
- Finish a quilt I started for my grandma and give it to her instead
- A new pair of hand-knitted socks since she seems to wear the pair I knitted her last year a lot
- Handmade card
- A tiny little purse or zipper pouch from fabric from my grandma’s scrap bag
- Handcream (bought)
Mr. Imma:
- He asked for a denim quilt, I’m not sure if it will be finished by Christmas
- I’ve bought a pair of christmas socks on sale
- He could use a new pair of flannel PJ pants
- I’ve wanted to do an advent calendar for us for a few years, but I’m not sure if he’ll think it’s childish
- Christmas stocking
Brother:
- tbd, probably something geeky
- Christmas stocking
Sister:
- tbd, she’s always difficult because her tastes seem to change. But she’s starting to get into sustainability so maybe something related to that.
- Maybe a tote bag? I have some cool fabrics that I think she would like.
- Christmas stocking
Friend #1:
- tbd, maybe some Christmas decoration that’s Halloween/cat/goth themed
- I bought a pair of Christmas socks
- Christmas stocking
In-laws:
- honestly, kind of done with that, don’t think they’ve ever even acknowledged receipt. They are a bit socially inept (no offence meant) so I’m not sure if they don’t appreciate it or don’t know it’s polite to acknowledge receipt. Never seen anything I’ve gifted them in their home afterwards (we don’t celebrate Christmas together). Maybe something simple, I don’t dislike them or anything.
Myself:
- FINALLY get Silent night cross stitch framed!
- Finish a Christmas embroidery kit that I bought for very cheap on clearance. It’s a nice DMC kit and our non-essential shops were closed from December to April or something so the Christmas stuff had to go asap.
- Maybe even stitch some more for myself!
- I also got those Christmas socks for myself! So Mr Imma and I and our friend will have matching socks. Yay!
- Finish embroidered tablecloth
- Winter-themed tablerunner, not specifically Christmas so can be used all winter
- Finish hexie swap quilt
Some elderly relatives:
- More handmade cards
LC friends:
- Even more handmade cards! Not stitched though, when I bought the embroidery kit I also bought a few large stamps and those will allow me to make a few dozen cards in an afternoon instead of stitching up one a week.