European Recipes:Russian Recipes:Medivnyk (traditional Honey Bread)

Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02

       Title: MEDIVNYK (TRADITIONAL HONEY BREAD)
Categories: Breads, Christmas, Russian, Ethnic, Holiday
       Yield: 10 servings

       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.