Sweet Bread With Raisins Recipes

Steps:

• Soften yeast in 1/2 cup warm water (add a little sugar to the water). Combine milk, 1/2 cup butter, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cool to lukewarm. Stir in eggs, vanilla, salt, and the yeast. Gradually add flour, beating well after each addition. Cover and let rise in a warm place until light and doubled in bulk, about 1-1 1/2 hours. Beat down and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Turn batter onto a floured board and knead with your hands. Drain water from raisins and knead them into the dough. If dough is too thin, add a bit more flour. Divide batter into 2 well-greased 9x5x3-inch pans. Let rise in a warm place until light, about 45 minutes.
• Bake in 350 oven for 25-30 minutes or until a deep golden brown. When done, remove from oven and while still warm, brush with melted butter. Bread should be very light and sweet.

Steps:

• Soak raisins in hot tap water to cover until plump, about 20 minutes, then drain.
• Meanwhile, stir together warm water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)
• Stir together flour, sugar, cardamom, and salt in a large bowl, then blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk, whole egg, and yeast mixture with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead, dusting surface and hands with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Pat dough into a 9-inch square and sprinkle with raisins. Fold dough over to enclose raisins and pinch edges to seal. Knead, dusting surface and hands lightly with flour, until raisins are distributed. (Dough will be lumpy and slightly sticky; if any raisins pop out, just push them back in.) Form dough into a ball.
• Put dough in a buttered large bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Punch down dough (do not knead), then halve. Cut each half into thirds and roll each piece into a 15-inch rope. Braid together 3 ropes to form a loaf, then transfer to a parchment-lined large baking sheet, tucking ends under. Make another loaf with remaining 3 ropes, arranging loaves 4 inches apart. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Brush loaves with egg wash and bake until golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, applesauce and butter. Stir applesauce mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Fold in walnuts and raisins; pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing.