Home Made Bread

• 5 cups warm water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 3 packages yeast
• 3 teaspoons salt
• ½ cup oil or shortening
• 10 to 12 cups flour

Pour water into very large mixing bowl (I use a very large crock). Add the sugar and yeast. Stir to dissolve yeast, and give it a minute or two to start working. Add the salt and oil. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough (probably about 10 cups).

Put news-paper covered with wax paper on counter with plenty of room to work. Put a generous amount of flour (1 to 2 cups) on paper, and turn out dough mixture. Knead enough flour into the dough to make it "rubbery", but not hard, or bread will be too dry. Return to greased bowl, cover and let rise till doubled in bulk. Will take at least 2 hours in a warm place.

Turn back out on a floured surface, and knead until you can handle without being sticky. Shape into loaves and/or rolls and place into well greased pans. I think the bread comes out of the load pans a little better if you use melted shortening. I use oil.

Let rise until light & to top of pans and bake in 375° oven till brown, and loaves will sound a little hollow when tapped. Brush top of laves with butter and turn out immediately onto racks or cloth to cool.

If you want to freeze some of the rools for "brown & server", remove from the over after about 15 min. or till they are "set" but not brown. Bread will be tough if reheated in the Microwave.

Of course, our favorite way to eat the loaves is sliced and buttered, then browned under the broiler. If Connie is here, better have some sugar and cinnamon mixed up.

I think this is probably the favorite food of the entire family. I have tried more complicated recipes, but Connie says, "MOTHER, there are SOME things you just don't tamper with". So ..... O.K.