Polish Raisin Bread

When I was a little girl my Grandmothers would sit me down and make me watch them as they prepared a multitude of dishes.
One Grandmother was a poor city woman of Polish decent, my Grandfather was a Swedish/Russian and her best friend was an Italian immigrant. In her house the cuisine was obviously Polish, Swedish, Italian and lots of roasts.
My other Grandmother was a typical midwestern woman. A country cook with a ham hanging in her pantry. She made her own jams and canned everything she could from her overflowing garden. She made biscuits and gravies, milk and redeye.

Easter is coming up and in my house and I hold the tradition of what we fondly like to call…
PORK FEST.
I stick to my Polish Grandmothers ways and don a babushka and an apron channeling all old Polish women ways.
I have updated and changed my Grandmothers menu a bit but it consists of…
Ham, Deviled Eggs, Kielbasa, Kapusta, Raisin bread, Perogies, Pea Salad and always, Olives and Pickles.

The trickiest part of this whole effort is the Raisin Bread. It is a thorn in the sides of her decedents.
As with most home cooks we don’t measure a damn thing, we just KNOW.
Well, this isn’t working.

Note…my other Grandmother would make biscuits and use a…as she described it, “An egg size dollop of shortening.”

Every year I make this Raisin Bread, every year one loaf always comes out raw in the middle.
This year I am starting early and I will get it right.
I started this morning.

Raisin Bread

In a sauce pan
1C skim milk
1/2C heavy Cream
1 C sugar
2tsp salt
1/2 C shortening (I used butter flavored)
Heat to a rolling boil
Add 2 Cups of Raisin to liquid and let cool, about 45 min. You want the raisins to pulp up.

Dissolve 2 packs of yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp) in 1/4 of very hot water.
To cool liquid add
Dissolved yeast
4 beaten eggs
2 C flour
Beat well with a spoon

In a large bowl
Add beaten mixture
and add
4 C flour
This is where it gets tricky.
I’m not afraid of yeast, altitude or humidity
…but I must take in these to consideration.
Add your flour slowly
If you live in a humid area, you need more, up here where I live at around 6000 feet above sea level were even our snow is dry and can be swept from our driveways…I need less.

Mix it till it comes together ish
On a floured surface kneed dough for about 4 to 5 min.
To kneed dough fold in half using the heel of your palm and turning it a quarter each time until its combined and well, doughy.

Put it in a large butter coated bowl, cover with a warm wet towel and put it in the oven. Make sure oven is off. Turn on the light in the oven. Let it rise in the oven for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Dump out on floured surface and cut into thirds, or halves.
This most fabulous recipe is a crap shoot but worth it.
You see this same recipe I have made into 2 loaves and sometimes 3, depending on the year.

Form in to a loaf and add to floured pans.
Let rise in the oven for about an hour.

Remove from the oven and turn the oven on
To 350.
Bake for 30 min…or until when thumped with your finger you hear a hollow sound. (Yes, this is how it was taught to me.)

If you try it, let me know how it comes out.
As for me My dough is in the oven rising as I type….and I will let ya know how it turned out…I’m sure one raw, one cooked as always and I will sit there and eat around the raw bits, just like every year.