Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Grease 2 8x4 inch loaf pans.
  2. in a medium saucepan, warm the milk, molasses, butter and salt.
  3. in a separate bowl, sprinkle the yeast over 2 cups flour and stir to blend.
  4. pour in the milk mixture and beat 100 strokes with a spoon, or for 2 minutes with a mixer flat beater.
  5. while beating, add the egg, rice and currants.
  6. Add the remaining flour, a little at a time, till the dough forms a solid mass and pulls away from teh sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes by hand or 8 minutes under the dough hook.
  7. the dough will be quite sticky as you begin but will become elastic and smooth as sprinkles of flour are added.
  8. Refrain from using too much flour.
  9. keep the dough elastic and not a hard ball.
  10. place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put aside at room temperature to double in volume, about 1 hour (or about half that if using rapid rise yeast).
  11. remove the dough from teh bowl, cover with a cloth and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
  12. cut the dough into 2 pieces. form rectangular loaves the length of the pans.
  13. place the dough in the pans and push the dough into the corners of the pans with your fingers and level.
  14. cover the loaves with wax or parchment paper and leave to rise at room temp till dough reaches 1 inch above the edge of the pans (about 45 minutes).
  15. preheat oven to 400 20 minutes before baking.
  16. place the loaves in the middle of the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or till loaves test done when tapped on the bottom with a finger.
  17. (if using convection oven, reduce heat 50 degrees).
  18. turn out from pan onto metal rack to cool.