Do you need Christmas presents or for any occasion?
Do you know someone who likes to read good books?
Give them autographed books by LeAnn R. Ralph.
Rural Route 2 Books About Life on a Farm

Written Especially for People Who Like to Read!


"Highly recommended reading."
The Midwest Book Review
Reviews & Readers' Comments
LeAnn R. Ralph
Rural Route 2 Author
E6689 970th Ave.
Colfax, WI 54730
(715) 308-6336
e-Mail
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Rural Route 2
Home of the Author:

LeAnn Ralph
LeAnn R. Ralph

Family History
Preserve Your
Family History

$11.95

Where the Green Grass Grows
Where the Green
Grass Grows

$13.95

Cream of the Crop
Cream of the Crop
$13.95

Give Me A Home
Give Me A Home Where
The Dairy Cows Roam

$13.95

Christmas
Christmas in Dairyland
$13.95

With a book from Rural Route 2, you can:

 1. Visit the country without leaving home!

 2. Relive the 'good old days' down on the farm!

 3. Find out what it was like to grow up on a farm (if you don't already know)!

 4. Promote literacy!

 5. Enjoy a good read with short stories that the Midwest Book Review calls 'highly recommended reading!'

 6. Carry a cheap form of entertainment with you anywhere -- even in your coat pocket!

 7. Show your children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews what it was like to grow up on a farm!

 8. Give a unique gift for graduations, birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents Day.

Contact LeAnn
By: E-Mail
By Phone: (715) 308-6336
Julekake and Christmas Bread Recipe
by LeAnn R. Ralph

In addition to making lefse for Christmas, my mother made julekake and Christmas bread. The difference between julekake and Christmas bread is that julekake is a richer bread.
This recipe makes two large round loaves.
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (or margarine)
- 2 packages of yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cardamom (substitute cinnamon or nutmeg if you prefer)
- 7 cups flour
- 1 cup of raisins
- 1/2 cup of citron
- 1/2 cup of red candied cherries
- 1/2 cup of green candied cherries


In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, milk, sugar and salt until the margarine/butter has melted. Pour the milk mixture into a large bowl and let it cool.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and add it to the milk mixture. Add the cardamom (or other spice) and 3 cups of flour and beat until smooth. Mix in the fruit and 4 cups of flour. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky, knead in another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour.

Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, or about one hour.

Punch down the dough and divide in half. Knead for a minute or so, and then form each half into rounds. Place the dough on a large greased cookie sheet and let rise for 45 minutes. (The loaves will become very large, so be careful not to put them too close to the edge of the cookie sheet.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. If the loaves start turning too brown, turn the oven down to 325. After you remove the loaves from the oven, brush them with shortening while they are still hot. This will help the crust to stay soft. Remove loaves from the cookie sheet. Allow the julekake to cool before slicing.

If you prefer, after the julekake is cool, drizzle on powdered sugar icing and decorate with cherries, walnuts or pecans.


~ Christmas Bread ~

This recipe makes two loaves.

- 2 cups warm water
- 2 packages of dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup shortening (I have also used Canola oil)
- 1 to 2 cups of citron (if you really like the taste of citron, add 2 cups)
- 6 to 7 cups of flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 2 cups of flour, sugar, eggs, salt, shortening/oil and beat until smooth. Add citron. Add 4 cups of flour. Mix. Knead for 10 minutes. If dough becomes too sticky, knead in an-other 1/2 to 1 cup of flour. Let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour. Punch down dough. Knead for a minute or two. Shape into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and let rise for 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Turn out of pans. Allow the bread to cool before slicing it.

More Christmas Recipes from LeAnn
• Lefse • Sweet Soup (Sot Suppe)
• Christmas Cookies • Fattigman

LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the farm books: "Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm) (trade paperback; 2003), "Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam" (trade paperback; 2004), "Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Interviewing Family Members and Writing Oral Histories" (e-book; 2004).

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