White Bread

One of my life's goals is to get good at making bread. I love it! Probably owe quite a few pounds to it. But, as I'm sick this week, I'm reminded of the comfort that a good, fluffy bread offers. From the warming of the oven, to the kneading of the dough, I love the process of making bread. You have to slow down and pay attention to what you're doing and really feel the bread. That said, I'm not very good at it. I'm beginning to realize that it's more science than anything. So, I've been trying a few different recipes and hope that between them all I'll pick up a winning combination of tips. (Or someone takes pity on me and shows me how to do it properly.)

Mary Griffin's bread has a beautiful velvety texture. It adapts easily to half-white, half-whole wheat bread. Set for Life, Merrill & Sunderland 1995, 1998

(I've had this cookbook since college. It's been a great tutor in real, family food.)

11 to 12 cups unbleached white flour or 6 cups whole wheat flour and 5-6 cups white flour

2 Tbsp. dry yeast

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

3 cups hot water

1/4 c. oil

1/4 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

Mix 7 cups flour and dry yeast in mixer bowl. Add evaporated milk and then hot water. Add oil, sugar, and salt. Mix well. With mixer running, quickly add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough just cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead 3 to 4 minutes. Do not over mix. Turn off mixer, cover bowl and let dough rise to top of bowl, about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn on mixer to knead dough down. Lightly oil hands. Divide dough into equal portions. Shape into loaves, and place in greased bread pans. Let rise until double and bake.

Bake 350 deg. 35 min.

Yield: I got 2 large and 4 small loaves of bread out of this.