Easter Raisin Bread Food

SWEET AND GOLDEN EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, butter and salt; mix well. Add eggs, extract and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; sprinkle with raisins and knead in. Divide in half. Divide each portion into thirds. Shape each into a 14-in. rope. Place three ropes on a greased baking sheet, and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes., Whisk egg white and water; brush over braids. Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

SWEET BRAIDED EASTER BREAD WITH RAISINS

Steps:

• Prep the Raisins: Place 2 cups of raisins into a small bowl. Pour boiling hot water until the water covers the raisins entirely. Let the raisins soak for 15 minutes, then drain the water and rinse the raisins. Set the raisins aside, for now, we'll use them in the recipe later.
• Heat milk and add sugar: Next, heat milk in a small saucepan over a stovetop burner on high heat for about 30 seconds or so until the milk reaches a lukewarm temperature. The milk should be barely warm at this point.
• Now transfer the milk into a small bowl. Add ¼ cup of sugar to it and stir well until the sugar dissolves entirely.
• Add yeast to milk-sugar mixture: Time to add the yeast! Sprinkle the active dry yeast over this milk-sugar mixture. Stir it in and then set it aside in a warm place for 15 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
• You'll notice bubbles forming on the top once the yeast has activated. You'll also be able to smell the distinctive scent of yeast once it's done.
• Melt butter: Next, melt butter in a bowl in the microwave or on the stovetop. Set it aside to let it cool down.
• Beat eggs and sugar: In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high for 10 minutes or until it turns foamy and pale yellow in color.
• Add the yeast mixture: Now reduce to a low speed and slowly mix in the yeast mixture.
• Mix in salt and vanilla extract: Continue mixing on low while adding salt and vanilla exact to this combined mixture.
• Add melted butter: Next, add the melted butter that we set aside to cool. Continue mixing the mixture on a low speed.
• Add raisins and flour: Finally, add raisins to this mixture. Now switch o the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer. Add 1 cup of flour at a time until 6 cups of flour have been incorporated.
• Continue mixing until the dough comes together and feels smooth and elastic. This should take approximately 15 minutes.
• Let the dough rise in a warm environment for 2 hours. Cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to let it rise.
• After the dough has risen and tripled in volume, transfer it onto a floured surface. I used a large cutting board. Split the dough in half.
• Take one-half of the dough and roll it into a log. Then split it into four equal pieces.
• Roll each of the four smaller pieces into thin, long logs (about 1.5-foot-long and 1 inch thick).
• Pinch the ends of all four thin logs together to start shaping them into a braid.
• Braid them into a nice and even braid as is shown in the picture (I have video instructions on my Instagram account under the Easter Bread bubble on how to make and braid this bread).
• Pinch the opposite end of the braided loaf together, then place it on a greased baking sheet.
• Using a hand whisk, whisk egg, and milk together until it's well mixed.
• Brush the egg wash generously over the top of the easter bread challah.
• Repeat the same steps with the second half of the dough by shaping it and brushing egg wash on top of it as we did with the first piece.
• Let the braided challahs rise in a warm place for another 45 minutes to an hour. It will expand nicely and close the gaps.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake each pan for 25 minutes or both pans for 30 minutes rotating them 10 minutes before the baking time ends.
• Remove from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes before removing them from the pan.
• Remove from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack before removing them from the pan.

EASTER RAISIN BREAD

Steps:

• Place raisins in 2 cups boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes; drain and add cold water to cool until raisins are lukewarm. Then drain and place on papertowel.
• Cream butter, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground clove.
• Beat in eggs until light and fluffy. Add milk and spiced rum. Beat to blend.
• Gradually stir in flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
• Fold in shredded apples, your choice of nuts, and raisins. You may dust raisins with flour first.
• Spoon into greased and floured 5 x 9 inch loaf pan.
• Make glaze by whisking 1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoons sugar.
• Brush glaze on top of batter in loaf pan.
• Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until bread passes toothpick test!

B. VOYCHESHIN'S EASTER BREAD WITH SAFFRON AND RAISINS

Steps:

• Scald the milk and leave to cool.
• Set raisins in water to reconstitute.
• Combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Let stand until frothy, approximately 10 minutes.
• Beat the cooled milk and first amount of flour well with beaters in a very large bowl with a tight fitting cover.
• Add the yeast mixture to the milk and flour, beat well then cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
• In a small bowl mix together the warm melted butter, oil, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and saffron. Allow this mixture to steep and strengthen its flavor.
• Meanwhile, separate the eggs and put the yolks in a medium bowl with the two whole eggs (reserve the whites for another use, but you do need one later). I TRY TO BUY FREE RANGE EGGS FOR THIS USE SO THAT I AM SURE TO HAVE THE YELLOWEST YOLKS. Beat the eggs and yolks until they are frothy but not stiff. Add the sugar and salt and continue beating until both are dissolved.
• Add the butter/oil/saffron mix to the eggs and beat well.
• Now, combine the egg/butter mixture into the yeast and flour that was set aside earlier and beat this well.
• Take this moment to drain and pat dry the raisins that have been soaking, and toss them in the second amount of flour so that they do not sink (THIS MAY BE AN OLD WIVES TALE, BUT I DO IT ANYWAYS BECAUSE MY MOM TOLD ME TO, AND AT THIS POINT I THINK YOU SHOULD TOO).
• Begin adding the flour to the egg/butter/yeast mixture one cup at a time and beat well between each cup. Beat until you can beat no more.
• I don't have a Kitchen Aid so at about 3 cups I have to stop beating with beaters and resort to stirring by hand. I find that a flat hand held spatula helps, but you've got to do it to get all the flour in and distributed evenly.
• When all the flour is blended evenly you add the raisins to the batter, you want to distribute them throughout, but don't want to break them either, so be gentle.
• This will be less like a dough and more like a very thick batter, but with oiled hands and a floured board you should be able to knead it.
• Turn this batter out onto a WELL FLOURED BOARD, and with oiled hands knead it LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS.
• Oil the dough and place it back into the bowl, cover it tightly and let it stand until it has doubled (60 min).
• Punch the dough down and form it into loaves.
• Let the loaves double in size (50 min).
• Bake the loaves in a preheated 400F oven for 15 minutes, brush with some of the egg whites (beaten) then turn down the oven to 350°F Continue baking for 30-40 minutes until the loaves are hollow sounding.
• Personal notes:.
• Grease loaf pans well.
• Remove the rim from a coffee can and bake these loaves in them for an authentic round loaf, be sure to keep the loaves below 1/2 full in the can or you will have a mushroom top.
• This bread makes extra-ordinarily good cinnamon buns.
• This bread also makes the most supreme French Toast.

JIRCITANO EASTER RAISIN BREAD - BREAD MACHINE MANUAL STYLE

Steps:

• Add all ingredients except raisins to breadmaker in a way that works for you and your particular breadmaker. I like to add all the liquids first then the dry ingredients on top.
• Set breadmaker to do a manual/dough cycle (sweet bread).
• Check after 5 minutes of kneading. If dough is very sticky, add a small handful of flour. If it's very dry, add a little water. Check again after a few minutes and adjust until you get a nice dough texture.
• When cycle completes, remove dough from machine and place on a kneading surface.
• Add the raisins. Knead a little, mixing in the raisins.
• Shape into loaves. This recipe makes 2 large or 4 small braided loaves.
• Place loaves on baking sheets, allowing enough room for loaves to double in size.
• Let the loaves rise, covered, until doubled.
• Bake at 325F for 30 minutes.

PASKA EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 cup warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add remaining water. Beat in the milk powder and 5 cups flour until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Add eggs, butter, salt and remaining sugar; mix well. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half and set 1 portion aside. Divide remaining portion in half; press each portion into a well-greased 10-in. springform pan. Divide reserved dough into 6 balls. Shape each ball into a 30-in. rope; make 2 braids of 3 ropes each. Place a braid around the edge of each pan, forming a circle. Trim ends of braids, reserving dough scraps. Pinch ends of braids to seal. Shape scraps into 2 long thin ropes; form into rosettes or crosses. Place 1 decoration on the center of each loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. , In a small bowl, beat egg and water; brush over dough. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.