Teresa, this bread is so good even after making major screw ups. Decided to try it in the bread machine on dough cycle with baking in the oven. Just as I was preparing to drain the fruit and add it, I found out a person I'd contacted about getting some fertile chicken eggs from to set under my broody hen had six for me. Out of show quality roosters and for free. And he said come and get them now. The bell rang for the addition of the drained fruit and nuts. I knew I hadn't drained the fruit enough, but I was in a hurry. Took off and halfway to my destination realized the dough cycle would be over a good while before I'd get back home. Sorry, but I really wanted those special eggs. The guy showed me all his show birds and got a lot of info from him. By the time I got back home I think the dough cycle had been done for two hours. I had a very wet dough that had risen in the pan then collapsed. Oh well, try to save it. Dumped it out on a liberally floured surface and kneaded in more flour, put it in the pans and let it rise. It did rise a little over the top of the pans.Tried my best and stuck it in the oven. It came out at 25 minutes completely done and beautiful except I didn't get the fruit and nuts distributed well. I've already eaten nearly half a loaf. Love it! Next time I think I'll add more cinnamon, follow the recipe on draining the fruit and not running out in the middle of it to get fertile eggs. Madonna

Barbara, I've done a lot of bread searches, and found some interesting archives, lots of recipes of people's own childhood breads, but no clues about yours. What concerns me is the "My". The following words could actually say something like "Molly Jones shares her mother's famous egg bread." Otherwise, to me it seems more logical that it was your mother who said it, maybe even wrote it in the book. But it could be either way. My BH&G is newer than your mom's, but still old. There's one recipe called Egg Bread: 6.5-7.5 c. AP flour 2 packets ADY (equals 2 cakes fresh yeast, equals 4.5 tsp ADY) 2 c. milk 1/4 c. sugar 1/4 c. butter or margarine [N.B.--it does matter which for the texture, but either will make good bread.] 2 tsp. salt 3 eggs Two loaves, double rise, 375° F. 35-40 min., cover with foil last 15 minutes so it doesn't over brown. This is a very standard enriched bread. If you want a picture of the recipe with full directions let me know.

When I had family at home and would bake at least 4 loaves at a time....one was always the "sacrifice"...to be ripped into while it was still too hot to touch..and the butter melted and dripped on your fingers...and it was delicious... I remember my grandmother saying...."now you just wait! You'll ruin the rest of the loaf if you cut it right now!!" And I resolved that the rest of the loaf was not as important as those first few wonderful hot slices.....and always give permission to dig right in! Last week I cooked for a church meeting....made a pot of corn chowder, broke up some greens, made a dressing and baked 4 loaves of basic food processor French bread....whisked them directly from the oven to the table and 6 people ate 2 3/4 loaves of fresh hot bread. And Ann....never have fresh hot rye nor whole wheat bread?? It's never better! Linda C

Jasdip, I have a couple of big loaf pans from Cuisinart, I seldom use them because they are so big, I'll bet your recipe would perfectly fill those two. I've never used bacon grease in bread, although I've used lard, now you've got me thinking. I usually reserve the bacon grease for the corn bread pan.... Joan, if you want to try something slightly different, I've made rolls with this recipe from King Arthur Flour. The technique is very different, but the texture of these are very nice. There are instructions for shaping a loaf at the end of the recipe, although I've only used it for rolls. Japanese Milk Bread Rolls Tangzhong (starter) 3 tablespoons water 3 tablespoons whole milk 2 tablespoons bread flour Dough 2 1/2 cups bread flour 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon instant yeast 1/2 cup whole milk 1 large egg 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) melted unsalted butter Directions To make the tangzhong: Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain. Place the saucepan over low heat, and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the tangzhong to a small mixing bowl or measuring cup and let it cool to room temperature. To make the dough: Combine the tangzhong with the remaining dough ingredients, then mix and knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until a smooth, elastic dough forms. Shape the dough into a ball, and let it rest in a lightly greased covered bowl for 60 to 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk. Gently deflate the dough, divide it into 8 equal pieces, and shape each piece into a ball. Place the rolls into a lightly greased round bun pan. Cover the pan, and let the rolls rest for 40 to 50 minutes, until puffy. To use another pan, see "tips," below. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the rolls with milk or egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water), and bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until golden brown on top; a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the middle roll should read at least 190°F. Remove the rolls from the oven. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Yield: 8 rolls. Tips from our bakers These rolls can also be baked in a 9" round metal pan for about 25 minutes. To make a loaf: After the dough's initial rise, divide it into four equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a rectangle, then fold the short ends in towards one another like a letter. Flatten the folded pieces into rectangles again and, starting with a short end, roll them each into a log. Place the logs in a row of four — seam side down and side by side — in a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan. Cover the loaf and allow it to rest/rise for 40 to 50 minutes, until puffy. Brush the loaf with milk or egg wash and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads at least 190°F. Remove the loaf from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Annie