Mama’s Delicious Homemade Bread

Who wouldn't love coming home from school greeted with a delicious smell of homemade bread in the air. Well that is how it was for me, a childhood filled with fresh home-baked bread.

I remember occasionally we had store-bought bread for a treat and I remember thinking it was terrible. Still to this day I prefer a slice of the home cooked delicacy.

Of course the bread was usually topped with homemade jam or honey straight from Grandpa Hansen's honey farm. Yum.

Here is her delicious recipe

Ingredients: 

2 3/4 cups of lukewarm water

2 pkgs. (or 3 T.) active dry yeast

1 cup scalded milk

1/4 cube butter

1 T. salt

2 T. Sugar

7-8 cups sifted flour

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water; stir to dissolve. 

Place the cup of milk in saucepan and turn to medium-high. Stirring frequently, heat milk until bubbles form and a light froth form around the edges of the pan. Add in the butter, salt and sugar. Mix. Cool to room temperature.

Only when milk is cool, add the dissolved yeast to the milk mixture.

Add about 3 cups flour to the mixture and stir to mix. Add 3-4 more cups of flour, one cup at a time until the mixture becomes solid and becomes difficult to stir.

Sprinkle a small amount of flour on a clean surface. Rub a slight amount of butter on your hands.

Work the dough with your hands forming it into a ball, press and then reshape. Continue this process until the dough is no longer sticky. (If the dough does not lose it’s stickiness, add more flour).

After dough forms a ball that will not fall apart, begin punching the dough by pressing the heels of your hands into the dough, pushing forward and gathering back to punch once again.

Throw the dough by gathering the dough, raising it, and then throwing it on the counter (this can be quite therapeutic).

Continue to knead, punch and throw the dough for about 10 minutes or when the ball of dough shows a shiny and smooth appearance and is tacky to the touch (having an elastic feel). 

Place the ball of dough in a covered, buttered bowl for 60 minutes. At that time, punch the down to make it flat. Divide the dough in have; shape each half into a loaf. Place in two greased bread loaf pans. Cover and let rise for 60 minutes. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Remove from pans; turn loaves over and rub the tops with butter. Let cool.