When Mercedes V. Rankin shared her recipe for “Portuguese Sweet Bread” in the “Bethel Cookbook”, assembled by the parish of the historic Bethel A.M.E. in 1979, she probably hoped to do her part to raise money for her church.
What she surely did not know is that some random weirdo would bake this bread 36 years later, search her name and uncover stories from her past and other ways she strove to make a difference.
Mercedes Rankin, I learned, was one of the first female police officers put “on the beat” in Baltimore.
Major Patricia Mullen, Sergeant Mercedes Rankin, Carol Channing, ? 1978, Baltimore City Police History
Born Mercedes Rawlings in 1933, Rankin joined the Baltimore City Police Department in 1960. In 1968 she married fellow police officer Donald O. Rankin.
Mercedes Rankin appears to have been an involved officer, engaging with community groups, working with troubled youth and the elderly, and in 1969 receiving a citation for her work developing a block mothers program to aid children in need.
In 1973, when the BCPD ended the policy of discrimination based on gender, Mercedes became one of the first two officers put on the beat, along with Sergeant Bessie Norris, who was in the Narcotics division.
“They won’t last a day,” said one male member of the force when told of the change. – ‘Sex Distinction Ended in Police Hiring, Duties’, Baltimore Sun, 1973
Although many people seem to have amnesia about this, Baltimore had its share of turmoil in the 1970s. Mercedes Rankin was assigned to patrol a troubled area in the Northwestern District. In 1977, one of the youth she worked with after school was slain before he could testify in a robbery case. “Tony was just a charming little fellow,” she said of the young man.
Mercedes Rankin Baltimore Sun photo, David Hobby (via ebay)
Rankin seems to have reacted to her promotion humbly and in stride.
“Sergeant Rankin said yesterday she is not frightened by her high-crime-area assignment. “I think I can handle myself. I feel like I’m one of the boys,” she said. “Once more women are assigned, they’ll be accepted.” – ‘Sex Distinction Ended in Police Hiring, Duties’, Baltimore Sun, 1973
One of the most telling insights into the character of Mercedes Rankin is a letter she wrote to the Baltimore Sun in 1965 in apparent response to Rev. Marion Bascom making a quip about police getting “kick-backs”:
“Officers Catania and Osborne… practically gave their lives to save the lives of seven small children. Did they get kick backs?…
Violet Hill Whyte… has done little else but worry about Baltimore’s people and their problems…
If police are receiving kick-backs and Bascom has knowledge of this, why doesn’t he become a better citizen and report it to the proper authorities?
Mr. Bascom should go into the districts and see an officer receive a smile from the people he helps. This is his kick-back, his reward, and that smile is far more precious than any kick-back he could ever receive. Take it from one who knows.”
Note how she champions the accomplishments of others. At least in the press, Rankin didn’t make much of her groundbreaking status, the apparent empathy and outreach that she brought to the position, nor to the fact that she was promoted to sergeant 11 months before her husband Donald.
At the time when Mercedes Rankin contributed her recipe to the Bethel Cookbook, the pastor would have been John Richard Bryant, who is credited with reviving the church and growing the congregation.
Dating back to 1785, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Bethel A.M.E.) Baltimore is the oldest independent continuously operating African American church in the state of Maryland.
According to Wikipedia: “Portuguese sweet bread is common in both Hawaiian cuisine and New England cuisine as it was brought to those regions by their large Portuguese immigrant populations.” This sweet bread recipe was traditionally baked around the Easter holiday.
Rankin’s recipe didn’t specify whether the butter should be melted, and the internet seems to go either way. I went with melted butter and this turned out fine. I was worried by how dark the crust became in the oven but after I let it sit and cut it open, it yielded a delicious sweet snack. I enjoyed it with lime curd, and later used it to make excellent french toast.
Mercedes Rankin passed away in September of 2011. According the the Baltimore Police Department website:
“Hundreds of women currently serve on the Baltimore Police Department. Female police officers serve as detectives, sergeants, lieutenants, and members of the command staff in a variety of assignments within the department. There are NO assignments that a female can’t do or isn’t open to, including police commissioner.”
Recipe:
- 2 package yeast
- .25 Cup lukewarm water
- 1 Cup sugar
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 6 Cup regular flour
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 Cup milk
- 1 stick butter, melted
Start yeast in small bowl in lukewarm water with a pinch of sugar, until mixture begins to bubble and rise. Combine remaining sugar, salt and 4 cups of the flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and drop in the eggs, yeast mixture and milk. Mix with spoon. Add butter and more flour and knead in with hands. Gradually add enough flour until dough can be shaped into a big soft ball and begins to pull away from sides of bowl when mixed. Knead until dough becomes smooth, shiny and rubbery. Cover with damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size (about one hour). Punch dough down and allow to “rest” 10 minutes. Shape into two loaves, place on baking sheet(s). Let loaves rise again about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°. Place loaves on top rack of oven. Bake about 45 minutes to one hour – until crusts are golden brown. If desired, brush top of loaves with egg yolk mixed with water after baking for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing. Makes 2 loaves.
Recipe adapted from Bethel Cookbook, contributed by parishioner Mercedes V. Rankin
