Recipe of the Week: Lemon Easter Bread

Happy Easter everybody! I hope you've all had a fun holiday weekend!

Things have been a little out of whack for me this week. I didn't do a Menu Plan Monday post for this past week, because my mom and stepdad were in town, and we did very little eating at our house. (hence, no MPM for me) And before they got here my schedule was filled with appointments (not to metion, a little housework), and after they got here, I spent the majority of my time with them, shopping, showing them all the sites, and that sort of thing. And on top of that, I've been feeling sick the last few days. So with all this going on, I haven't had much time to devote to posting.

But I'm feeling a little better today, so here's the recipe of the week. (better late than never). I was going to do another Easter dessert for this week, maybe even something you could make using leftover Easter candies, but in my search for recipes, I ran across this bread, and I decided to post it instead. This came from Taste of Home, and though it's called Easter bread, it sounds like a good recipe for any occasion. As I've previously said, I love any and all breads, and I also happen to love lemon flavored desserts, so this is definitely a good combination for me. I hope you all enjoy it!



Ingredients:
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant lemon pudding mix
3 eggs, lightly beaten
5 to 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions: In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, pudding mix, eggs and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into loaves. Place in two greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 loaves.