Happy Friday!  Wow – what a week.  As of 12:03am this morning I made it home.  I had some problems getting internet connection at the airports today so I am putting this post together on very little fuel.

I have been wanting to post this beef barley stew for a couple of weeks now but I keep forgetting.  That is until now.  With the recent stint of cold weather this wholesome comforting dish will make you warm from the inside out.

This recipe is compliments of my mom.  It is really an easy dish to make with either fresh stew meat or left over meat from a roast.
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Ever since I was a little boy, I always loved raisins. Whether they were right from a box, inside pastry, added in main courses or in my favorite… bread - I always loved them. Raisin bread is on e of my favorite things to eat. Freshly sliced with a butter on top….. I could eat it all the time. Now I tend not to get raisin bread that much at the bakery/grocery store but from time to time I like to indulge.

But this time around I thought I would try and make a loaf from scratch - it is an old family recipe and sometimes we use to add walnuts. I am not crazy about walnuts on their own but inside this bread they are actually quite tasty. They give the bread a nice texture as well. So below is the recipe for zesty’s raisin walnut bread - I hope you enjoy it!!

Ingredients

• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 2 cups lukewarm water (105° to 115°)
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup walnut halves, coarsely chopped

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together honey and 1/2 cup of the lukewarm water. Add yeast and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water.
2. Add whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups of white flour and salt. Stir until well combined. Add enough of remaining white flour until dough leaves sides of bowl.
3. Sprinkle flour on a flat dry surface. Turn dough onto the surface and knead 5 to 10 minutes, adding more flour if necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic. Don’t make the dough too dry.
4. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat. Cover with damp cloth and set aside in warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Place a piece of parchment paper on a large baking sheet.
5. Punch dough down and turn on to floured surface. Knead raisins and walnuts into dough. Shape (round, long, square,) into 1 large loaf and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover with damp cloth and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 425°F. Using a spray bottle spray loaf with water. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on rack before slicing.