Rising to the Occasion

Barbossa today has been really active. I haven't taken him out for about a day and a half because I assumed he would want to be left alone while he is in the process of shedding. But today, as soon as I went to turn his heat lamp on, I saw him pacing around the cage, looking up expectantly. I had breakfast and then I took him out for a morning walk. He actually moved around! Very surprising. I think he is growing up and realizing he is a big strong snake that is afraid of nothing! Or... he just wanted to stretch and is still terrified of everything that breathes, and even everything that doesn't. I know Barbossa, inanimate objects are scary.
Well, last night I got it into my head to bake bread today. Specifically an Easter bread. I don't celebrate Easter per se, since I am a card carrying Pagan, but I am not averse to getting chocolate eggs and bunnies fresh an early on a Sunday morning. Besides, the holiday has it's roots on the pagan day of Ostara, celebrating the goddess of light and spring (that's where the eggs and bunnies come from), so I am not quite being a hypocrite.
The bread that I decided to make is a Romanian one called Cozonac. It's a bit like the Italian panettone, with raisins and an optional walnut or chocolate filling. I am making it with the walnut one. Right now, the bread is in the process of doubling in size, which takes about an hour and a half, so I've got time to kill. I was reading how Romanian women used to, and probably still do, get up early in the morning to be able to finish the bread in time for dinner. I can see why. After this rise, I have to do another one, so it'll be close to six in the afternoon before I finish the bread. It already smell Divine, though.

Here is the recipe I'm using:

2 1/2 tbsp. + 3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup + 1/2 + 1/4 cup milk
1 package active dry yeast
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup golden raisins soaked in rum
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp. rum
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. oil

Scald (bring close to a boil) 1/2 cup milk and add 2 1/2 tbsp. flour. Stir. Let cool.
Heat another 1/2 cup milk just until lukewarm. Pour over yeast. Stir. Add to flour mixture and beat until large air bubbles appear. Cover and let rise at least 15 minutes.
Heat rest of milk to lukewarm. Add egg yolks, sugar, raisins, zest, yeast mixture, flour. Add cooled butter and knead for 15 minutes. Add rum, vanilla, oil. Knead for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 1/2 hours).
Punch down, knead 5-10 minutes. Spread dough out on floured surface, spread filling and wrap up. Heat oven to 350 F. Coat a pan with cooking spray. Place dough on it, let rise until it reaches the top of pan. Mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tbsp. water and brush top of dough. Bake 1 hour.

For filling:
1 cup walnuts, ground
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, milk in pan. Boil. Add walnuts, stir. Let cool and then add vanilla extract.