European Recipes:Russian Recipes:Honey Bread

Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v7.02

      Title: Medivnyk (Traditional Honey Bread)
Categories: Bread, Christmas, Russian
   Servings: 10

       8 lg Eggs; Separated, At Room
            -Temperature
       6 tb Butter
      14 oz Honey; Clover Or Wild
       2 c Sugar
       6 c Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
       2 ts Baking Powder
       2 ts Baking Soda
       2 ts Cinnamon
            Zest And Juice Of 1 Orange
       1 c Strong Coffee
       1 c Sour Cream
       1 c Filberts Or Walnuts; Chopped
            -(Optional)

   Heat the honey to boiling and allow to cool. Separate the eggs, reserving
   the whites. Beat the room temperature yolks with the butter until fluffy.
   Add the cooled honey and beat until well blended. Add the sugar and blend
   well. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together,
   then sift again. add to the honey mixture. Add the orange zest, juice,
   coffee and sour cream stirring until no dry flour shows. Whip the egg
   whites until stiff, then fold in a little of the whites, mixing well, then
   add the rest of the whites. Stir in the chopped nuts, if using them.
   Pour into buttered and floured loaf pans, rapping them to even the batter.
   Bake in a preheated 325 Degree F. oven for about an hour. DO NOT open the
   oven door during the first 30 minutes of baking. When done, cool on wire
   racks for 10 minutes and then turn out to finish cooling. Wrap well in
   heavy duty aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator.