game, game. repeat.

My great-grandmother was warm, fun, and loving. One of her favorite ways to show us she cared was to cook us food…and to sneak us a cookie when mom wasn’t looking. My great-grandma (who we called Abuelita), grandma, mother, brother, and I have all made this bread and it’s really good. Especially with a little warm butter

spread on top. The recipe has been passed down through my family for generations and with each generation it’s become infused with a little more love.

Abuelita Corral’s Spanish Sweet Bread
makes 2 loaves

2 packages of yeast soaked in 1/2 water
1/2 cup canned milk
1/2 cup whole milk
4 eggs beaten
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 cups sugar
6 cups flour
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 cups raisins

Close all windows and doors, don’t want cold air

Scald 1/2 cup canned cream milk and 1/2 cup of whole regular milk (medium heat until crust on top, about a minute, don’t let it boil)
Melt 2 cubes of butter on low heat
Sift 7 cups of flour (throw through strainer if no sifter) into a separate bowl

Take 2 packages active dry yeast and dissolve in 1/2 cup luke warm water for 5 minutes w/a pinch of sugar

In a bowl, beat 4 eggs
Throw in 1/4 teaspoon salt
Add 1 cup to 1/2 cups sugar and mix
Add butter and stir quickly so the egg is not cooked…let butter cool first if necessary and mix
Add milk after its cool and mix
Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon lemon extract and mix
Add yeast and mix
Add half the flout and mix
Add fists of flour

Let bread rest on floured board covered with cloth and wait 3 minutes
Put flour everywhere, flour hands
Kneed dough…turn and take outside and folding into middle for 8 minutes
Add cup of raisons and kneed until it’s even. Should have lost it’s stickiness, but throw flower as needed.
Grease a bowl with butter or Crisco
Put the bread then flip it so it has grease all over
Wet a towel with warm water then ring it out
Cover the bowl and put in barely warmed oven (turn on for a minute, then turn it off before)
Close the oven and let the thing rise for about 1 1/2 hours

Take dough out of oven
Punch the dough down
Split into 2 round baking pans that are well greased
Shape it into pans
Cover pans with damp towels over wax paper and put back into warm place
Let rise for about 1 hour

Take off towels and wax paper
Turn oven to 350 and bake for 45-55 minutes or so (check it so the outside is not burnt)