Roz,

I probably won't try this one, but I made your mom's blitz torte (with fresh raspberries) last weekend and it was well received. My wrist is still sore from all the whisking, though.

Sounds yummy. One question though--I'd be making it for adults, not kids so 2 cups of sugars sounds way too sweet for my tastebuds. If I cut the sugar in half will I need to make any other adjustments?

Hi. I've never tried it with half the sugar so I can't tell you what might happen. I'd try reducing the sugar by 1/3 this time and see how that goes (for example, is the bread now too oily?) and then the next time try reducing it by 1/2 if the 1/3 reduction went well. Maybe throwing in some dry blueberries would soak up extra oil as well as act as a non-sugar source of sweetness, or maybe you would need to reduce the oil slightly. And perhaps adding one tablespoon of maple syrup would boost the sweetness after you take away half the sugar. If you cut the sugar, try sprinkling some large-ish sugar crystals (like turbinado or demerara sugar) on the top of the bread before baking it so that people will get a direct taste of sugar when they eat it, even if the sugar in the rest of the bread is greatly reduced. Only repeated experimentation will tell! Put on your lab coat and safety goggles and go to work!!!

It actually really helps to keep a notebook and record all your results. I know that sounds nerdy but it helps to keep track of all the subtle variations. I know from my own experience that putting a lot of time into making subtle changes and then not being able to remember which version was the best is a huge drag and deeply humiliating, even if you yourself are the only one who knows that you put time, effort, and money into repeated experiments but couldn't seem to get it together to record the results. Sigh. Don't let this happen to you!!

Don't forget that this recipe makes two loaves, so that means there's only one cup of sugar in each loaf, and there are about 8 servings in each loaf, so only 1/8 cup of sugar per serving. As is, the bread is sweet but not overly so. Still, I am sure that you could reduce the sugar by 1/3 with no ill effect on the flavor...I just don't know how it will change the texture and moisture content, and therefor the baking time.

the recipe and get back to you.

I bet it was good with raspberries. I am working on a dessert using raspberries for next year: "Raspberry Beret" (a little shout-out to Prince, with whom I share a birthday, although not the same year): it's going to be two meringue layers with raspberry-lime curd in the middle and lime curd on top and then garnished with raspberries. I've made lime curd in the past and now I am working on raspberry-lime curd. I didn't get any raspberries on my bushes this year. I am hoping maybe they will appear in the fall.

This recipe fed a broke-ass eleven person circus for two meals! Thank you!

Any group of meals shared by eleven broke-asses sounds like fun. I'm glad you enjoyed the bread.