Irish Freckle Bread

Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1 cup potato water (105 to 115 degrees) or 1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
• 1/4 cup mashed potatoes, lukewarm
• 8 tablespoons sugar
• 5 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup raisins

Recipe

• 1 dissolve yeast in water.
• 2 add mashed potatoes, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 cup flour.
• 3 beat until smooth.
• 4 cover and let rise until bubbly (about 1 hour).
• 5 stir down.
• 6 add remaining sugar, salt and 1 cup flour.
• 7 beat until smooth.
• 8 stir in beaten eggs, then melted and cooled butter.
• 9 add raisins.
• 10 stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough.
• 11 turn out onto lightly floured board. kneed until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).
• 12 place in buttered bowl (i use the butter wrapper with a little extra butter).
• 13 turn once to butter the top.
• 14 cover and let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).
• 15 punch down.
• 16 divide into 4 equal parts.
• 17 let rest 5 minutes. shape each part into a slender loaf about 8 inches long.
• 18 put 2 loaves side by side in each of two buttered loaf pans.
• 19 cover and let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled (about 40 minutes).
• 20 bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until done.
• 21 loaves should be golden brown and sound hollow when turned out and tapped on the bottom.