B Voycheshins Easter Bread With Saffron And Raisins Recipes

EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and yolks until lemon-colored; gradually add sugar. Add the butter, salt, vanilla, lemon juice and zest; beat well. Add milk and yeast mixture. Gradually add 6 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with raisins; knead for 5 minutes longer. 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 into thirds. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Shape each portion into a loaf and place in greased 8x4-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. , Bake at 325° for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks.

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.

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!

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.