Chocolate Bread with Vanilla Butter

Scald milk and remove from heat. Add butter, stirring until it melts. Add sugar, vanilla. When mixture is lukewarm, add yeast. Add beaten eggs and stir.

Measure flour and cocoa into large bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir. Turn out onto floured board.

While dough is resting, clean and butter a bowl. Knead dough gently for 5 minutes, adding flour as necessary to produce a smooth dough.

Put dough into buttered bowl and cover with damp towel and put into warm place until dough doubles in size (Try putting it in shut-off oven).

Punch down and knead again 8 to 10 times. Pat into a loaf shape and place in a well buttered (9- x 5-inch) loaf pan. Cover and let it rise again, 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pat top of loaf with coarse sugar. Bake for 1 hour. After 30 minutes, cover top with foil so it does not burn.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto wire rack. Serve with vanilla butter.

Make vanilla butter while bread is rising. Cream butter and sugar, then slowly beat in vanilla. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl. Cover and chill.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Should be soft and spreadable.