Raisin Bran Bread

I found this delicious, nutritious bread recipe in the "Farm Journal Freezing and Canning Cook Book" published in 1963.  I have modified it to use instant yeast and a simplified mixing method; I also found it didn’t need to bake as long as the original recipe called for.  When I made this for the photo I split the dough, making a plain raisin-free loaf for our breakfast toast, and braided the raisin loaf, but still baked it in the pan.  I use 4” x 10” loaf pans because we like nice square smaller slices. 

To scald milk, heat it in a saucepan until it starts to form bubbles along the sides, about 82° with an instant-read thermometer.  When you braid your loaf, pinch the ends together with the center rope of dough on top, to get a nice-looking end, and braid loosely so the bread can have room to rise.  To read more about making fast-rise yeast breads, CHECK HERE.  Remember, you can also make this recipe by hand too, the way I did for years.

This bread was a hit at our house; my husband doesn’t ordinarily like raisin bread, but he thought this version was excellent, and he liked the raisin loaf the best.  It’s good to have another recipe to help use up a box of All-bran. 

                    

                            Raisin Bran Bread

  1 3/4    Cups  Milk -- scalded

     1/2    Cup  Water

  1           Cup  All-bran® Cereal -- (2 ounces)

  2           Tablespoons  Lard -- or shortening (1 ounce)

  2           Tablespoons  Molasses

  1           Tablespoon  Brown Sugar -- packed

  1 1/2    Teaspoons  Salt

  1           Package  Instant Yeast

  1 1/2    Cups  Raisins -- 8 ounces (3/4 cup or 4 oz. per loaf)

  5 1/3    Cups  Flour -- (1# 8 ounces) approximate

Scald milk and water.  Stir cereal, fat, molasses, sugar and salt into milk and water, cool to 120-125°.

Add 2 cups of flour and then the yeast to bran mixture; beat 2 minutes with paddle attachment or by hand.

Add raisins and remaining flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Knead 6 minutes with a kneading attachment or by hand.

Let rise 20 minutes, covered, in a warm place.

Punch down and shape into loaves for greased 8 1/2 x 4" or 4" x 10" loaf pans.

Loaves with raisins weigh about 1# 12 ounces, plain dough weighs 1# 8 ounces. 

If braiding raisin dough, each rope weighs about 9 ounces each.

Let rise until doubled, covered, in a warm place (about 30-35 minutes) preheating your oven while your loaves are rising.

Bake in a hot 400° oven for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 375° and bake for 20 minutes more or until loaves reach 200° with an instant read thermometer.  (You may need to cover loaves with tented foil if they are browning too quickly.)

Brush with butter and cool on a rack.

2016 Cost:  $1.65 per loaf