Sprinkle yeast, ginger and a pinch of sugar on the water.

Stir to dissolve and let it stand until bubbly.

Mix milk and sugar.

Add to yeast mixture.

Stir in 1 cup flour.

Stir in butter and salt.

Beat at medium speed about 2 minutes or stir by hand until batter is smooth.

Add enough remaining flour to form a dough that leaves the sides of the bowl.

Knead until smooth and elastic, kneading in the raisins as you go-about 10 minutes if kneading by hand.

Round up into a ball and oil all sides.

Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a tea towel.

Let rise in a warm place until doubled about 1 ½ hours. (The inside of the oven with the light on is perfect). This is the first rise and will take the longest.

Gently deflate the dough.

Shape dough into a loaf and place in an oiled loaf pan. To do this roll or pat out into a rectangular shape and then roll up, pinching the seams tightly together.

Lightly brush the tops with melted butter.

Let the dough rise until almost doubled, and top of the dough is rounded above the pan, 30-45 minutes.

Bake at 375 for 30 to 40 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom and an instant read thermometer reads 196F when inserted in center from side.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes, remove from pan, and finish cooling.

If a soft crust is desired cover the loaf with a clean tea towel during the cooling process.

Once cooled completely you can slice the bread with a sharp serrated knife.