Authentic German Schnitzbrot Recipe (Christmas Bread)

Ingredients

• 2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups prune juice
• 1 (9 ounce) package condensed mincemeat
• 2 cups prunes, pitted and chopped
• 1 cup black raisins
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 0.5 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

1. Prepare three 9x5-inch loaf pans by lightly greasing them; also, grease a large bowl and set both aside.
2. In a separate large bowl, dissolve the yeast in water; let it sit until creamy, approximately 15 minutes. Incorporate sugar until fully mixed, then stir in 3 cups of flour until well combined.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine prune juice and mincemeat over medium heat; bring to a boil while stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in prunes, raisins, walnuts, brown sugar, ½ cup of butter, and salt.
4. Add the mincemeat mixture to the yeast mixture; gradually incorporate the remaining 7 cups of flour, adding 1 cup at a time, until a moist and well-blended dough is formed (you might not need all the flour).
5. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface; knead it into a ball. Place the dough into the greased bowl, cover it with a cloth, and let it rise in a warm area until it doubles in size, approximately 1 ½ hours.
6. Punch down the dough, then turn it out onto a floured surface, lightly knead it, and return it to the bowl. Allow it to rise again for about 1 hour.
7. Punch down the dough once more; turn it out onto a floured surface and divide it into 3 loaves. Place each loaf into a prepared pan, and lightly brush the top of each with 1 teaspoon of butter.
8. Cover the pans with a clean cloth; let them rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
9. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C); continue baking until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, about 30 minutes more. Let it cool slightly, then remove from the pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.

Nutrition

• Calories: 400 kcal
• Fat Content: 8 g
• Fiber Content: 4 g
• Sugar Content: 30 g
• Sodium Content: 287 mg
• Protein Content: 7 g
• Cholesterol Content: 12 mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 76 g
• Saturated Fat Content: 3 g
• Unsaturated Fat Content: 0 g