Bake Tall

DEAR SOS: I was all set to bake Hobo Bread for a friend’s birthday and couldn’t find the recipe printed in The Times many years ago. Can you help?

MARY EABY

Whittier

DEAR MARY: This “My Best Recipe” prizewinner was printed in 1973, when baking bread in coffee cans became a craze lasting several years. It’s a good quick bread to serve with soups, stews and beans.

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Hobo Bread

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

1 1/2 cups raisins

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup boiling water

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

* Place raisins in mixing bowl and sprinkle with baking soda. Pour boiling water over raisins, then let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

* Cream sugar and butter, then beat in egg and salt. Add to raisins and mix well. Add flour to mixture and stir well. Stir in walnuts. Place rounds of greased wax paper in bottoms of 2 tall 1-pound coffee cans that have been well greased. Divide batter between cans.

* Place cans in oven and bake at 350 degrees until toothpick inserted in bread comes out clean, 1 hour. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Run knife between bread and cans to loosen, then turn bread out on rack to cool. Cut into slices and serve.

2 loaves, 6 servings each. Each serving: 259 calories; 87 mg sodium; 25 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.66 gram fiber.