White Bread

It's unanimous. This bread is good with butter or toasted. That they've eaten nearly 2 loaves a day speaks volumes. Give it a try. There are few things as satisfying as the smell of bread baking and the taste of fresh bread, warm from the oven, with butter or jam. 

Makes 2 medium sized loaves, or 2 dozen small, dinner buns or 1.5 dozen larger buns.

1 1/2 cups very warm water
1 Tablespoon/ package active yeast (not instant)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup lard
1 large egg
4 1/4- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons vegetable/Canola oil

Put water into large mixing bowl/ Kitchen Aid bowl, and sprinkle yeast on top. Sprinkle sugar over yeast and let stand about 10 minutes, until yeast is puffing up and foamy looking.

*Kitchen Aid Instructions:
Add salt, lard, egg and 4 cups of the flour. Mix on lowest speed with dough hook, for about 10 minutes, until flour is incorporated. Add more flour, 1/8 cup at a time, until dough no longer sticks to your fingers when you test it.

Take dough off dough hook, and form into a ball with your hand. Remove from bowl, (either hold in one hand or rest on clean breadboard) and add oil to bottom of bowl. Put dough in bowl, swishing it around to cover the bottom with oil, then flip the dough to cover the other side.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2- 2 hours.

When bread dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and divide into two equal portions. Roll/ shape each portion into a 6 1/2 inch long roll, and place in lightly greased bread pan. Set in warm place to rise again until the top of the bread is at least an inch above the rim of the pan.

Preheat oven to 350*F, then bake the loaves for 30- 50 minutes until nicely golden.

Take the pans out of the oven, and carefully tip the bread out of the pans. Cool on baking racks.

*Regular Instructions:
To the yeast/water, add salt, lard,egg and 2 cups of the flour. Using electric hand mixer/ beaters, beat batter together until lard and flour are incorporated, and mixture looks gelatinous, (kind of gooey/ glue-y) It will be very sticky.

Now, using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix in 2 1/4 cups more flour. As the flour is incorporated, the dough will get stiffer and you'll find it easier to just transfer it to a lightly floured board and mix with your hands.

When the dough starts to feel less sticky, and the flour is mixed in, begin to knead the dough, adding a little flour at a time as needed to keep dough from sticking to your hands. As you knead it, the dough will get less sticky and the less flour you add, the lighter your bread will be.

To knead: Gather the dough into a ball. With the heel of your hands, push the dough away from you. Now with your fingers pull the dough back towards you into the ball. Repeat with pushing away and pulling it back 4 or 5 times. The dough should start to get longer, side to side. Rotate the dough, (1/4 turn), so it is long-wise to you; gather the longer end up into a ball with your fingers, then push it back out in the kneading motion as before. Continue kneading and turning the dough for at least 10 minutes. The longer you knead, the better your bread will be.

Put oil in the bottom of the bowl. Put the dough in the bowl, swishing it around to cover the bottom with oil, then flip the dough to cover the other side.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2- 2 hours.

When bread dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and divide into two equal portions. Roll/ shape each portion into a 6 1/2 inch long roll, and place in lightly greased bread pan. Set in warm place to rise again until the top of the bread is at least an inch above the rim of the pan.

Preheat oven to 350*F, then bake the loaves for 30- 50 minutes until nicely golden.

Take the pans out of the oven, and carefully tip the bread out of the pans. Cool on baking racks.