Italian Easter Bread

1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) margarine
2/3 cup warm water
2 packages yeast
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour

Scald milk, stir in sugar, salt and butter. Cool to lukewarm.

Pour water into a large bowl, stir in yeast, then the milk, stir in eggs and 1 1/4 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Let rise until double its original size.

Brush top lightly with melted butter. Turn out onto a heavily floured board. Work dough until not sticky, but also, not heavy. Make any desired shape and let rise again until double its size. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. One half cup of white raisins or 1/2 cup of glazed fruit may be added to dough.