Schnitzbrot (German Christmas Bread)

Prepare the Pans: Grease a large bowl. Lightly grease three 5 x 9-inch loaf pans. Set aside. (5 minutes)

Activate the Yeast: Pour warm water into another large bowl. Add yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside until mixture becomes creamy, about 15 minutes. Stir in white sugar and 3 cups of the flour. Mix until well combined. (20 minutes)

Create the Fruit Base: Add prune juice and mincemeat to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, and stir in prunes, softened butter, raisins, walnuts, brown sugar, and salt. (10 minutes)

Combine and Knead: Combine the prune mixture with the yeast mixture. Gradually stir in the remaining 7 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, until well blended to make a moist dough (you may not need all of it). Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead into a ball. Transfer to the reserved greased bowl. (15 minutes)

First Rise: Cover the bowl with a cloth, and place in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. (90 minutes)

Second Rise: Punch down the dough, knead lightly on a floured work surface, and return to the bowl. Allow to rise again, about 1 hour. (60 minutes)

Shape and Prepare for Baking: Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Punch down and divide into 3 loaves. Place each loaf into a prepared loaf pan. Lightly brush the tops of each loaf with 1 teaspoon of softened butter. Cover with a clean cloth, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (70 minutes)

Preheat: Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). (10 minutes)

Bake: Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Lower heat to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of loaves comes out mostly clean, about 30 minutes more. (90 minutes)

Cool: Let cool slightly, remove from pans, and cool completely on racks. (60 minutes)