Christmas Bread

Ingredients

 * 5 lbs flour
 * 1/4 lbs butter
 * 1 quart milk
 * 1 To 1.½ cups Sugar
 * 1 tbsp salt
 * 2 yeast cakes or ¼ pound yeast
 * 1/2 cup water or milk
 * 2 tsp vanilla extract
 * 5 large eggs

Directions
Mix yeast, water and 1 tablespoon Sugar. Let rise. Put 1 quart of milk in a pot. Add ½ cup Sugar and ½ pound butter. Scald; don't boil. Take off stove to cool to lukewarm. Beat eggs; add remaining butter and Sugar. Mix well. Put flour in pan. Mix well. Add vanilla extract, egg mixture, milk mixture, yeast and salt. Knead until it falls off your hands. The better it is mixed the better the bread will be. Let stand until it doubles in size. Punch down. Let rise again. Put in five or six pans and let rise again. Bake at 375 °F for ½ an hour. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake about ½ hour longer.