Raisin Bread

Made these from a recipe I saw on the Treatntrick blog for Sunday breakfast. A sweet bread went well with a layer or butter or jam. The adults preferred it with butter and the kids with jam.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups of all purpose flour,

1 ½ tsp active dry yeast,

¾ tsp salt,

2 tbsp melted butter,

1 cup warm water,

2 tbsp milk powder,

1 ½ tbsp sugar,

¾ cup raisins

Method

Take ½ a cup of warm water and add the yeast and ½ tbsp of sugar to it. Let it stand covered for sometime till it turns frothy. If you are using instant yeast, you can skip this step.

Place the remaining warm water and sugar, prepared yeast, milk powder, butter and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly using a wooden spoon.

Add the flour by the cupful and knead until a stiff and smooth dough is formed.

Place the dough in an oiled and covered bowl, let it rise for an hour till it doubles in size. This time could vary according to the yeast you are using and the climatic conditions.

Punch the dough down and add the raisins, mix well and place into a greased loaf pan. Keep covered for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180^oC.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180^oC or until the top is browned and the bottom sounds  hollow when tapped with your finger.

Brush with melted butter and transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

When completely cool, slice to serve.