Lena’s Not so Secret Egg Bread Recipe

 

6 3/4 to 7 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 packages active dry yeast

2 cups of milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

 

In a large mixer bowl combine the three cups of the flour and the yeast.  In a saucepan heat milk, sugar, butter, and salt just until warm (115 degrees to 120 degrees) and butter is almost melted; stir constantly.  Add to flour mixture; add eggs.  Beat at low speed of electric mixer 1/2 minute, scraping bowl.  Beat three minutes at high speed.  Stir in as much remaining flour as you can mix in with a spoon. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total).  Shape into a ball.  Place a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease surface.  Cover; let rise in a warm place till double (about 1 1/4 hours).

 

Punch down; divide dough in half.  Cover; let rise 10 minutes.  Shape into two loaves.  Place in two greased 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pans.  Cover; let rise till nearly doubled (35 to 45 minutes).  Bake in a 375-degree oven 35 to 40 minutes or until done, covering with foil for the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning.  Remove from pans, and cool on a wire rack.  Makes two loaves.

 

This is also the same recipe that can make Raisin Bread.  Prepare dough as above except stir in two cups plumped raisins when stirring in the flour with a spoon. To make Plumped Raisins: Two cups raisins, cover raisins in a saucepan with water.  Bring to boiling.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes; drained. 

 

Drizzle warm loaf with powdered sugar icing.  Alternatively, in microwave-safe bowl place the two cups of raisins and enough water to cover.  Microwave approximately two minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Proceed as usual.

 

Actually, any dried fruit may be substituted for the raisins.  Reconstitute them in the microwave if desired.  If not, dust them with flour and make sure they are cut into bite-size pieces.  In this manner, any seasonally appropriate fruit or nuts can be used to create Sabbat Bread.  Food coloring used in the icing can also help with a visual reminder of the season, such as red is appropriate for September 21st.  My only caution is that some people are allergic to certain food colorings. Check with your guests beforehand for food allergies.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Forgiving Myself and Literally Moving On

Okay, I confess. You haven't seen much of me lately because I've been naughty. I fell off the wagon and piled on ten pounds. Could I blame stress? Yeah, but the point is that no one put a gun to my head and made me eat more carbs. I did it. I think the point is to forgive myself and get back on the bandwagon. There will be days like today (Thanksgiving) where I'll indulge. However, I can say no to certain things like mashed potatoes and dressing and say yes to things like more turkey. I had just a sliver of pumpkin pie instead of pigging out. For me, total denial means I get resentful and eventually defiant. Giving in to a little and having what I want in reasonable portions means I avoid a self-hating binge in secret later. So, now I have to come up with strategies to increase my calorie burn when I can't control what I eat. That means increasing my exercise. That's as easy as getting out of the chair. I can take a walk or dance to my MP3 player. I can do a lot of ...
Read more

Is Humiliation Part of the Treatment?

Just how much humiliation am I supposed to take? Today was a group session at the surgeon’s. You know what I learned? What an ass one of the surgeons is. That’s it. After the weigh in, in which I gained a whole half-pound, we had the usual and repetitive lecture on how important it is we shrink our livers. I was feeling pretty good about my weight, actually. I’d had a full bladder and heavy winter clothing on, but the scale said only half a pound. I could live with that. I knew also I’d had a few too many macadamia nuts over the past few days and vowed to cut them out. Finally, the surgeon appeared. He was as handsome as rumor had claimed. I had a hard time understanding his accent, since he was from South Africa. The Afrikaners I’ve known can seem to mumble a bit to our American ears. I’d had an Afrikaner teacher back in real estate school and I’d adored him, so I was prepared to like the surgeon, Dr. Cywes. How wrong I was. After introducing himself and matching faces to files, he im...
Read more

The Best Spices-- Never say Low Carb is bland again

Image
Our Spices Gifts & Accessories Recipes Blog Events Our Stores St. Patrick's Day the Right Way. For  real home made brined corned beef, you need to get started soon, as you need around two weeks for the brining process. St. Patrick's Day is one of our favorite holidays here in Chicago, and not just because the river is dyed green .  With our long history in the meat industry, we love any holiday that traditionally features a giant piece of slowly marinated beef.  Sure, you can get pre-made or quick-cooking corned beef, but for the real thing, you need to start with good beef and let it brine until it's perfectly flavored and meltingly tender.  Our brine recipe will give you the best corned beef, whether you eat it straight, slice it into Reubens, or make...
Read more