Bread

Mark has been the bread baker in our house, but last week I was on a roll in the kitchen, so I kept on going. Well, I was also on a loopy roll - I ended up roasting the chicken upside down (wierd!) and then didn't read the "warm" milk in the bread recipe. Yeast needs to be warm to work. Mark came to the rescue, and we ended up with lovely bread.

Here's a recipe for what James Beard (Beard on Bread) named a "Basic Home-Style Loaf". Good for toasting and sandwiches.

Basic Home-Style Loaf

Beard on Bread

1 package yeast

2 cups warm milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tablespoon salt

5-6 cups flour (The recipe says all-purpose -- I used 2 cups whole wheat, and the rest white.)

Add yeast and sugar to 1/2 cup of the milk, stirring until dissolved. Allow to proof (i.e. it will bubble). In another bowl add the rest of the milk, butter and salt and then add the flour one cup at a time. After 3 cups, add the yeast mixture. Continue stirring in flour until firm (about 4 to 5 cups).

Put dough on flowered board and knead, adding flour as needed until dough is "supple, satiny, and no longer sticky." Butter a bowl, place dough in turn to coat, and cover. Allow it to rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size (about 1.5 to 2 hours).

Punch the dough down, put it back on the floured board and knead another 4-5 minutes. Divide into two equal parts. Shape into loaves and place into well-buttered 9x5 inch loaf pans. Set aside to rise again until doubled.

Bake at 400F 40-45 minutes.