As I understand it the Poles have a special bread for Christmas and Easter that requires a large amount of flour and raisins, then the dough is formed into three snake shapes and braided. When you are done you have about four loaves which is more than required for two people or a small family. I have looked for some alternatives and found a good idea at Cooks.com that I changed a little and it came out just the way I wanted. It is not only good for holidays but a great alternative to scones in the morning. You can make it my way or add a simple glaze to the top for a sweater taste.
Ingredients:
· ¼ cup Lukewarm water
· 2 ¼ tsp Active dry yeast (1 small package)
· ½ cup Milk
· ½ cup Sugar
· ½ Tbl Salt
· ¼ cup Butter (cut into four or five pieces)
· ¼ cup Lukewarm water
· 2 Eggs
· 2 ½ cups Flour
· ½ tsp Grated lemon peal
· ½ cup Chopped pecans (almonds or walnuts should do fine)
· ½ cup Dried cherries
For the Glaze:
· 1 cup Confectionery sugar
· 1 Tbl Milk
Directions:
1. Rinse a small saucepan with warm water then semi dry with a paper towel. You will use this in step #2 and by washing it out the milk won’t stick so much.
2. Scald the milk in the small saucepan. I’m not talking “boil” here, just scald.
3. Add the sugar, salt and butter to the milk and cook and stir until the butter is melted.
4. Take the saucepan off the heat and let it cool to lukewarm
5. Pour the water into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it then stir until dissolved.
6. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat. By cracking them into a bowl you should be able to tell if they are good and remove any egg shell parts. Beating them at this stage is also better than trying to beat them in step #8.
7. When the milk mixture is lukewarm add it to the yeast.
8. Add the eggs and flour. I like to add the flour ½ cup at a time and I like to sift it before adding it. I find that sifting the flour now gives bread a lighter consistency and makes it easier to blend.
9. Need the batter for about 5 minutes or so. It will be wetter than most bread dough’s but don’t worry. That is how it should be. Not pancake consistency either but closer to that than to a white bread dough.
10. Cover the batter with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place for about a half hour or until it doubles in size. I put it into the oven or microwave as long as they are not hot. Some people will turn the oven on for about a minute first but if the oven walls are hot to the touch then the yeast will die.
11. When the batter has doubled add the cherries and pecans and need the batter again.
12. Pour the batter into a large loaf tin or 1 ½ quart casserole. I like the loaf tin to give the end result more of a bread height instead of a brownie height.
13. Let the batter rise again for about an hour as in step #10.
14. When it looks like the batter has risen properly preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you are using the oven to help the batter rise, take it out first.
15. Bake the batter for 50 minutes.
16. When the time is up, tap on the bottom of the bread and listen for a hollow sound. This means it is done. If it isn’t, let it bake some more, probably at 5 minute intervals.
17. Let the bread cool for 20 minutes.
18. If you want to use the glaze then beat the cup of Confectionery sugar and tablespoon of milk together in a bowl. Drizzle this on top of the bread and a little on the serving dish for a great presentation.
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