Raisin Bread

I love raisin bread eventhough I know it's in the category of calorie rich foods. I think once a while I may break the rules by eating high carbs foods as comfort... and then burn it out again by doing some exercises. My motto is "Life is only once so enjoy it while you still can" :o)

My ambition is to make my own raisin bread. But right now it's easier and faster to buy it (pics below) from the local bakery. What I can do now is to keep this recipe in my blog just in case I feel want to bake it myself.

The recipe is originally taken from here.

This is also my entry for Jugalbandi Click event for the month March 2009 with the theme Wood.

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup soft butter
1/4 cup sugar
>1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup scalded milk
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten

Preparation:
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.

2. In a large bowl, combine raisins, butter, sugar, salt, and hot milk; stir to dissolve the sugar. Let mixture cool to lukewarm.

3. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the flour; beat well. Add yeast mixture and the beaten eggs; mix to blend well.

4. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft but stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.

5. Place dough in a lightly buttered bowl, turning once to grease the surface. Cover with a clean dish cloth; let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

6. Punch dough down and divide into 2 portions. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

7. Shape into 2 loaves; place in 2 greased 8x4x3-inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise again for about 45 to 60 minutes, until almost double.

8. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, placing foil over loaves the last 10 minutes, if loaves are getting too brown. Remove loaves from pans and let cool on racks.