Grandma Karash's Raisin Bread

Great Grandmother Theresa Karash's Raisin Bread

Ingredients:

yeast

1 1/2 cup milk

sugar

1/8 lb butter

5 1/2 cups flour

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

salt

1 box of raisins

Kitchen stuff:

saucepan

big bowl

two loaf pans

Directions, as recorded by Sandra Karash...

Start yeast in a little water with 1 tsp sugar.

Warm 1 1/2 cup milk in pan on stove.

Add 1/8 lb butter (1/2 stick) to milk in pan.

Heat until butter melts.

Put 2 cups flour in big bowl.

Add yeast and water to flour.

Add milk and butter to flour.

Stir to moisten all the flour.

Let 3 eggs come to room temperature.

Beat the 3 eggs with egg beater, and add 1 tsp vanilla.

Add 1 tsp salt to dough in big bowl.

Add 1 cup sugar to dough.

Add egg mixture to dough.

Mix in by hand. (There must be a better way!)

Add 3 1/2 cups sifted flour.

Mix by hand (again!) until dough doesn't stick to hand as much.

Add 1 box of raisins, which have been plumped over steam.

Grease two loaf pans well!

Put dough into pans, filling 1/3 full.

Cover with warm lid. Let rise until 2/3 full.

Put dough into warm oven for 15 minutes until it fills pan.

Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 45 minutes: Bake at 250 about 25 minutes, then raise heat to 275 for 20-25 minutes more until it is brown.

Take bread out and place on soft surface (pillow) after removing from pan.