Christmas Traditions.

Given the recent success of Parker House Rolls, we aimed for a Christmas tradition – raisin bread. Truthfully, the rolls were also a practice run with yeast, because this recipe can be a bit temperamental.

As we’re in the process of building our own traditions, I enlisted Bitty to help. In the past, this recipe has taken around 8 hours in total. But it allows for 2 long break periods in which you can do other things. Like putting up your Christmas tree (what Grammy did) or playing Mario Cart (what Bitty, Bean, and I did). 

This bread is great for gifting. If you’re keeping it all for yourself or long-distance gifting, the loaves can be wrapped in foil and stored in a 2 gallon re-sealable bag and will keep for a week or so. If you need to keep them longer, they stay good in the freezer for months.

Granma’s Raisin Bread

Equipment:

At least 4 smaller mixing bowls of varying sizes and one very large bowl with a smooth surface – the old ceramic-coated wash basins work great if you have one. This recipe makes 8 loaves, so you need 8 loaf pans.

Ingredients:

1 qt whole milk (substitute at your own risk)

½ lb butter, divided

¼ lb (approx. ¾ c.) shortening

2 ½ (2 3/8) c sugar

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

6 eggs (+ 1 egg yolk)

5 packets active dry yeast (approx. 3 ½ packets or 3 packets + 1 tsp)

5 lb unbleached flour + 1-2 cups

3 c raisins

Instructions:

The following steps can be done simultaneously to save time.

In a 2qt saucepan, heat milk slowly without boiling. When warm, add ¼ c. butter and shortening and allow to melt completely.

 In bowl #1, mix yeast into ¾ c warm (115F) water and a pinch of sugar. Allow to proof while completing other steps.

Sift 5lb flour into a 2^nd bowl.

In a 3^rd bowl, mix raisins with 1/4c flour to coat.

Measure sugar and spices in a 4^th bowl. This will be the bowl in which you mix the entire batch of dough.

Beat eggs in a 5^th bowl.

When yeast is proofed and butter and shortening have melted, move to the following steps.

Pour milk/butter/shortening mixture into the 4^th bowl with the sugar and spices. Stir to dissolve sugar.

When mixture has decreased to 115F, add the yeast mixture in bowl 1 and the beaten eggs in bowl 5.

Add flour a little at a time, alternating with raisins. When you can no longer stir with a spoon, use your  hands. Add extra flour and knead until dough forms a smooth ball. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Coat the top of the dough ball with 2 Tbsp butter. Let rise for 3-4 (1-2) hours or until doubled in size. (I checked the first rise at 2 hours, and it had almost tripled in size despite the reduced amount of yeast. Even after punching and kneading and the second rise, the bread came out less dense than I remember. Though it's not a bad thing. Still, I may check on it earlier next time.)

When dough has doubled in size, punch down and knead. Divide into 8 equal portions. Place in well-greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise again for 3-4 (2) hours. Prick top of each loaf with a fork to vent. Bake at 350F (365F) for approximately 30 (26) min, turning once at 15 (13) min for even browning. Do not crowd – if pans are closer than 2-3” from each other in the oven, bake in multiple batches. Remove from pans to cooling racks. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.