With two weeks to go before its official close on July 31, the America's Best Raisin Bread Contest, hosted by the California Raisin Marketing Board (CRMB), Fresno, Calif., is still accepting entry applications.

The contest is open to bakers and the research and development staff of commercial baking companies, craft bakers, retail bakery shop owners, certified baking teachers, registered students and bakery technicians working in allied industries such as bakery supply wholesalers, flour milling companies and bakery ingredients suppliers.

To qualify, formulas should be for raisin bread products planned for sale in the future or raisin bread products currently available in the market, which can be commercialized. The CRMB seeks the best raisin breads based on taste, appearance, originality and value.

Applications must be in baker's percentages. No one person may submit more than three entries, and applicants also must provide color photos of a cut cross section and the whole finished loaf.

In the United States, the legal standard of identity for raisin bread is 50% raisin content to dry flour weight. This is the minimum acceptable California raisin content level for the contest. It should be noted that California raisin content may be made up of California natural sun-dried raisins, California golden raisins, California raisin paste and/or California raisin juice concentrate.

The contest features the following categories in two divisions, professional and student (18 years or older). Contest applications, rules and additional details are available at www.loveyourraisins.com.