Easter Sweet Bread
(Updated Recipe)
Ingredients
The Yeast Mixture
2 large household yeast + 3 Tbsp sugar
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk (don’t use all the liquid—may not need it)
3/4 cup warm water (may not need all the liquid)
The Bread Dough
1 whole pound of butter—softened in microwave 20 to 25 seconds
8 eggs beaten with fork
2 ¾ cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt (Note: handwritten edit says: cut to 1 tsp salt)
12 to 14 cups flour (start with 12)
1/2 tsp vanilla (handwritten addition)
Topping for Bread (Double It)
1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar (Note: Aunt Marie only uses 2/3 cup sugar but I like it sweeter)
¾ cup soft butter (Note: handwritten edit says: 1 stick)
Instructions
Prepare Yeast: Make yeast mixture by crumbling yeast into a bowl and putting sugar over the top. Let it sit in a warm place until you see it liquefy. Sometimes I’ll stir it with a fork to move it along.
Mix Base: Cream sugar, salt, and margarine. Beat eggs into mixture and add vanilla. Start to add flour and milk/water alternately while mixing. Then beat in the yeast mixture. The dough is very sticky.
Knead & First Rise: Sprinkle extra flour and try to knead it a little bit. Put dough into a large pot and cover with a piece of cloth. Then cover the entire pot with blankets to keep it warm. Cover the entire top and sides of the pot with the blankets.
Topping: Make the topping once you put the bread into the pot to rise. Mix the ingredients like you would a pie crust.
Prep Pans: Grease your pans with Crisco and set aside. Let it rise for 2 hours and 10 minutes, punching it down once. Then throw it on the counter and knead it a little bit.
Second Rise: Fill your pans at least half way. Put the crumb topping on top of the pan. Cover the pans. (Handwritten note: “I filled it – it passed it again”)
Third Rise: Once in pans, let it rise for another 1 ½ hours. Keep house warm while making yeast bread.
Bake: Bake in 300 degree oven for approx 55 minutes—since I use different sizes of pans I try to watch to see it turn golden brown. Let it sit. Do not cut it right away. It cooks a little more as it sits and cools. Great toasted.
Baker’s Notes (Handwritten)
Yield: When I made it in 2007, it made 4 large loaves and 1 small one.
Rising: “Does not need to be more than half [full].”
Baking Story: “Got tired & threw it in oven after the [unreadable] turned oven on & it did beautifully.”
Batch Size: “Cooked longer because 4 large loaves… extra ~15 mins!”