Easter Raisin Bread Recipes

EASY CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD

Steps:

• Whisk water, milk, sugar and yeast together. Allow to stand for 10 minutes until foamy.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour, spiced and salt.
• With the mixer running, add the yeast mixture and allow to knead in.
• Add the butter or oil, allow to knead in then add more flour, one third cup at a time until the dough is smooth. Add the raisins.
• Knead for another minuted until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
• If the dough is still very sticky, add more flour and knead in.
• The dough should be smooth and soft and only a slight bit sticky.
• Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and allow to rise for 1 hour.
• Once the dough has proofed, press it into rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Press any raisins that have fallen out of the dough into the center. Roll onto its self into a log, pinch the seam then transfer to a loaf pan that has been lightly greased.
• Cover again and allow to rise for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
• Brush with beaten egg and place in the oven and allow to bake for 30-45 minutes until golden brown and risen. If the bread browns too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of foil and continue baking. Once baked the bread will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
• Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter (optional) and allow to cool before slicing.

EASTER BREAD, OR UKRAINIAN BABKA

Steps:

• Place the butter, milk and 3/4 cup of white sugar in a pot and bring it to a near boil, you want to slightly scald the milk. You can also heat it in the microwave as well to the point of scalded (near boil).
• Add in the cup of cold water and let the mixture cool.
• Take the 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 tsp of white sugar, mix in your yeast thoroughly and let it start bubbling away.
• Beat your egg yolks and turmeric (or saffron if you want traditional). The turmeric gives the bread it's lovely color. (You can also use 3 whole eggs instead of the 6 egg yolks but the yolks make a richer bread. So 3 eggs OR 6 yolks)
• Add the egg mixture to the warm milk mixture. You need to let the saffon dissolve in the warm mixture before you move on, if you use saffron!
• Then add the yeast mixture to the bowl.
• I used the mixer for this now because it is one heck of a job. Mix the salt into your flour then add in the first four cups of flour, then your raisins. Then slowly add another 4-5 cups until the dough is slightly sticky. The dough should stick to your hand very slightly, but be a nice elastic dough.
• My dough always climbs the hook eventually so I used the mixer to get it combined and kneaded as much as possible then removed it and kneaded it on the counter for a while.
• Once that's done it needs to rise. Put it into a bowl(s) in a nice warm place and cover it with a damp tea towel.
• Once it's doubled in size, it's time to punch it down and put it in the tins to rise again. You want to fill the tins only half way with punched down dough, this dough rises like you wouldn't believe!
• Grease the ever lovin' heck out of those coffee tins. (I use the medium size, the 13-16 oz coffee tins, NOT the large ones!) This would make a perfect 7 tins. You can also make it in a loaf pan.
• Time to let it rise again, Let the dough rise until it is almost at the top of the can. They will rise in the oven as well when they start baking, which is why you want them only to rise barely to the top of the tin.
• Remove all the oven racks except the bottom one. Kick the tires and light the fires to 325 degrees.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes on the very bottom rack, the tops get very golden brown but don't fear, the inner part has to cook and the tops get brown and stay brown.
• Once they are nearly done, brush with the beaten egg and cook until the bread is finished.
• The bread will sound hollow on top when tapped & be a lovely brown.
• Cool very slightly in the tins then remove to make sure the bread doesn't sweat and the bottoms don't get soggy.
• If they stick slightly in the tins, twist and shake gently at the same time, they will pop right out.
• If they stick in the loaf pans, run a knife along the edge to free the bread then remove safely.
• Cool on racks for a couple of hours ... if you can wait!

CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD I

Steps:

• Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.
• Dissolve yeast in warm water, and set aside until yeast is frothy. Mix in eggs, sugar, butter or margarine, salt, and raisins. Stir in cooled milk. Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes. Place in a large, greased, mixing bowl, and turn to grease the surface of the dough. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled.
• Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Moisten dough with 2 tablespoons milk. Mix together 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and sprinkle mixture on top of the moistened dough. Roll up tightly; the roll should be about 3 inches in diameter. Cut into thirds, and tuck under ends. Place loaves into well greased 9 x 5 inch pans. Lightly grease tops of loaves. Let rise again for 1 hour.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when knocked. Remove loaves from pans, and brush with melted butter or margarine. Let cool before slicing.

HOMEMADE RAISIN BREAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
• In a large bowl, combine the raisins, warm milk, butter, sugar, and salt; stir to dissolve the sugar. Let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
• Stir 1 1/2 cups of the flour into the milk mixture and beat until smooth.
• Add the yeast mixture and the beaten eggs to the milk mixture and mix to blend well.
• Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft but stiff dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Butter or oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the greased bowl. Turn it over to grease the entire surface of the dough.
• Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it stand in a warm, draft-free place until it has doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch the dough down and divide it into two equal portions. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Shape the dough into two loaves and place them in two greased 8-by-4-inch loaf pans .
• Cover the pans with a kitchen towel and let the loaves rise for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until the dough has almost doubled in bulk. Then preheat oven to 375 F.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Place foil over the loaves for the last 10 minutes if they look overly brown.
• Remove the loaves from the pans and let them cool on racks. Serve and enjoy!

PASKA EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• Warm the milk to between 100 to 110 degrees F (usually 30 seconds in the microwave does the trick!) and pour into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy.
• Add the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract, and stir to combine.
• Add the flour and the salt and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Add the golden raisins then, using the dough hook, knead on medium-low speed until a smooth, shiny ball of dough is formed, 3 to 6 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary. (You can also knead by hand until smooth ball is formed.) Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours (rise time will depend on temperature and humidity in your kitchen).
• Punch dough down and remove from the bowl to a clean work area. Remove one-quarter of the dough and set aside. Form the large piece of dough into a ball and place in a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan.
• Divide the remaining piece of dough into three pieces and roll them each out into a 20-inch strand. Braid the three strands together for one long braid. Divide the braid in half and use it to form a cross over the top of the large ball of dough in the pan. (Alternately, you can wrap the braid in one length around the inside edge of the pan.)
• Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy and nearly doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Whisk together the egg and water, then brush evenly all over the top of the dough and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees F. You can tent the pan with aluminum foil if it is browning too quickly. Remove from the oven, turn the bread out of the pan, and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.

UKRAINIAN EASTER PASKA

Steps:

• Cover the pan with greased plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled.
• Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 F and bake an additional 40 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 190 F. If necessary, cover the top of the bread with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.

OLD-FASHIONED RAISIN BREAD

Steps:

• Assemble and measure out all ingredients before beginning.
• In medium-sized saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring milk to the scalding point (180°F), stirring frequently to prevent milk from scorching. Do not boil the milk. Remove from heat and stir in the warm water, molasses, brown sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until sugar has dissolved and butter has melted. Let mixture cool to about 110°F then whisk in the lightly beaten egg.
• While the milk mixture is cooling, place ½ cup warm water (110°F) in large 2-cup measuring cup or bowl. Stir 1 tsp sugar into the warm water until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over the water and quickly, but gently, stir in the yeast. Let yeast stand, undisturbed with no stirring, for about 10-12 minutes, or until yeast is foamy and bubbly. Stir down yeast.
• In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, combine the liquid ingredients with the yeast along with 2 cups of the flour gradually added, one cup at a time. Beat on slow speed to blend ingredients then increase speed to medium (e.g., the "6" setting on KitchenAid Classic mixer) and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Add the raisins. Again, with mixer on slow speed, gradually add 2 more cups of flour, about a cup at a time. Increase speed to medium and beat mixture for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a lightly floured surface, using some of the remaining flour to flour the work surface. With hands greased with a small amount of vegetable oil, begin kneading the dough by hand, continuing to add more of the flour called for in the recipe until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pliable, about 8-10 minutes. Periodically re-grease hands with the oil as necessary to prevent them from sticking to the dough. (Note: If you have a very large mixer, the dough could be completely kneaded by mixer; however, if you have a standard-sized stand mixer, it will be difficult to get the dough perfectly kneaded by mixer with the quantity of flour called for in this recipe).
• Grease a bowl large enough to allow the dough to double in size. Grease all sides of dough with vegetable oil to prevent it from drying out and transfer dough to prepared bowl. Cover the top of the bowl loosely with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Cover bowl completely with a towel or lightweight blanket and place in warm, draft-free location to rise until dough doubles in size, about 1¼ - 1¾ hours.
• Prepare two 9"x5"x3" loaf pans by greasing all sides of pans.
• Using vegetable oil, grease the work surface. Punch down dough in bowl with fist and turn dough out onto greased surface. Divide dough into two equal portions.
• Shape each portion of dough into an oval loaf shape and place in prepared pans.
• Cover loaves loosely with a tea towel and place in warm, draft-free location to rise again for between 45 and 60 minutes.
• About 20 minutes before bread is expected to be ready to be baked, preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer bread to oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until bread is nicely browned on top and loaves sound hollow when tapped. Immediately transfer bread from pans to wire racks to cool. If desired, gently grease tops of the hot bread with butter. Cool bread completely before cutting and serving.

RAISIN BREAD

Steps:

• Grease an 8x4-in. loaf pan; sprinkle with cornmeal and set aside. , In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add orange juice; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add remaining flour. Stir in raisins (batter will be stiff and sticky). Do not knead., Spoon into prepared pan; sprinkle with additional cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes. , Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and toast.

ANISE RAISIN BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the sugar, orange juice, butter, eggs, egg whites, lemon juice, orange zest, salt, lemon zest, extract and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into loaves. Place in two 8x4-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks.

SWEET BRAIDED EASTER BREAD WITH RAISINS

Steps:

• Prep the Raisins: Place 2 cups of raisins into a small bowl. Pour boiling hot water until the water covers the raisins entirely. Let the raisins soak for 15 minutes, then drain the water and rinse the raisins. Set the raisins aside, for now, we'll use them in the recipe later.
• Heat milk and add sugar: Next, heat milk in a small saucepan over a stovetop burner on high heat for about 30 seconds or so until the milk reaches a lukewarm temperature. The milk should be barely warm at this point.
• Now transfer the milk into a small bowl. Add ¼ cup of sugar to it and stir well until the sugar dissolves entirely.
• Add yeast to milk-sugar mixture: Time to add the yeast! Sprinkle the active dry yeast over this milk-sugar mixture. Stir it in and then set it aside in a warm place for 15 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
• You'll notice bubbles forming on the top once the yeast has activated. You'll also be able to smell the distinctive scent of yeast once it's done.
• Melt butter: Next, melt butter in a bowl in the microwave or on the stovetop. Set it aside to let it cool down.
• Beat eggs and sugar: In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high for 10 minutes or until it turns foamy and pale yellow in color.
• Add the yeast mixture: Now reduce to a low speed and slowly mix in the yeast mixture.
• Mix in salt and vanilla extract: Continue mixing on low while adding salt and vanilla exact to this combined mixture.
• Add melted butter: Next, add the melted butter that we set aside to cool. Continue mixing the mixture on a low speed.
• Add raisins and flour: Finally, add raisins to this mixture. Now switch o the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer. Add 1 cup of flour at a time until 6 cups of flour have been incorporated.
• Continue mixing until the dough comes together and feels smooth and elastic. This should take approximately 15 minutes.
• Let the dough rise in a warm environment for 2 hours. Cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to let it rise.
• After the dough has risen and tripled in volume, transfer it onto a floured surface. I used a large cutting board. Split the dough in half.
• Take one-half of the dough and roll it into a log. Then split it into four equal pieces.
• Roll each of the four smaller pieces into thin, long logs (about 1.5-foot-long and 1 inch thick).
• Pinch the ends of all four thin logs together to start shaping them into a braid.
• Braid them into a nice and even braid as is shown in the picture (I have video instructions on my Instagram account under the Easter Bread bubble on how to make and braid this bread).
• Pinch the opposite end of the braided loaf together, then place it on a greased baking sheet.
• Using a hand whisk, whisk egg, and milk together until it's well mixed.
• Brush the egg wash generously over the top of the easter bread challah.
• Repeat the same steps with the second half of the dough by shaping it and brushing egg wash on top of it as we did with the first piece.
• Let the braided challahs rise in a warm place for another 45 minutes to an hour. It will expand nicely and close the gaps.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake each pan for 25 minutes or both pans for 30 minutes rotating them 10 minutes before the baking time ends.
• Remove from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes before removing them from the pan.
• Remove from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack before removing them from the pan.

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!

UKRAINIAN BABKA BREAD (EASTER BREAD)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir the yeast into the warm milk to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Add 3 cups flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours
• If you choose to use the golden raisins, soak the raisins for 30 minutes in warm water, then drain and pat dry with paper towels before using. This will keep the raisins soft in the bread and hard.
• Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric stand mixer and add the sugar, melted butter, egg yolks, salt, vanilla, and golden raisins. Mix to just combine.
• Add the 4 cups of flour, one at time; mixing between each cup.
• Mix on low to medium-low speed until the dough comes together, adding more flour one tablespoon at a time, if needed. The dough will be a bit sticky.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it forms a smooth dough, about 5 minutes, again adding more flour one tablespoon at a time, if needed.
• Divide the dough into three equal sections and shape into loaves, then transfer to three 8x4-inch greased loaf pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• When the dough has about 10 minutes left to rise, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. **
• Brush the tops of the loaves with the egg wash.
• Bake the loaves for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F** and bake for an additional 40 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown.
• If the loaves are beginning to get too dark, place a tented or loose piece of foil over top.
• Let the bread to cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, then turn the loaves onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• ***Store leftover bread in a re-sealable plastic bag and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Recipe from Ukrainian Cookbook by the SS Peter and Paul Church

POLISH EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until blended.
• Beat in egg yolks until well blended.
• Dissolve yeast in warm water.
• Stir yeast mixture, orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon and salt into butter mixture.
• Stir in flour alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition, until soft dough forms.
• Stir in raisins.
• Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Stir down dough; spoon into greased and floured10 x 4-inch tube pan or 12 cup bundt cake pan.
• Cover; let rise until double, about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degreesF
• Bake until bread is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Cool 5 minutes.
• Remove from pan; cool completely.
• Sprinkle with confectioners sugar if desired.