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Bread (mom’s)

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Mom F’s recipe. Makes 5-6 loaves.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 1/2 cups warm water (not hot)
  • 2 tbsp heaping T. active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup dry nonfat milk (1/2-1 c.)
  • 1/4 cup sugar (1/4-1 c.)
  • 1/4 cup soft shortening (1/4-1 c.)
  • 4 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs (2-4 eggs)
  • 12 cups flour
  • some melted butter to brush on top

Instructions

  1. Place 4.5 cups warm (not hot) water in large bowl of your electric mixer and at low speed, add the following:
  2. 2 heaping Tablespoons dry yeast (or 3 packages active dry yeast),
  3. 1/2 to 1 cup dry nonfat milk. The amount is not critical – just no more than 1 cup
  4. 1/4 to 1 cup sugar
  5. 1/4 to 1 cup soft shortening (use about the same amount of shortening as you do sugar. Use Minimum for crusty, chewy, French-type bread; use Maximum for soft, fine grain, delicately flavored bread and/or dinner rolls),
  6. 4 t salt
  7. 2 to 4 eggs (Egg Whites are best, giving the bread a very fine texture, but leaving it snowy white: 2 whole eggs give the same flavor & texture, but make the bread a creamy color. Use 4 whole eggs only when you want to make Parker House rolls or fancy sweet rolls)
  8. 6 cups all-purpose flour – don’t sift and the measurement need be only approximate.
  9. Turn up speed to medium & beat until batter is very smooth and shiny, about 5 minutes
  10. Meanwhile take another container – In this, put another 6 cups of flour. Pour the batter you have been beating on top of the flour and stir it rapidly all at once. Stir until flour is all moistened then knead, adding more flour (1/2-1 cup probably) until dough is quite firm.
  11. Spank the mound of dough (**weird). It will be easy to handle when firm as a “plump babies bottom.”
  12. Let bread rise 45-60 minutes or until doubled in bulk, (or up to 1.5 hours in a cool place, or longer in the fridge)
  13. Knead down just enough to collapse the air bubbles and let rise again 30-45 minutes.
  14. Then shape 4 oblong loaves. Place in 4 9″x5″ pans to rise again. (If sticky & hard to form in rolls, chill for 1 hour).
  15. Let loaves rise until dough springs back, showing no signs of a dent when you poke it gently with your finger, or until doubled in bulk – about 30 minutes.
  16. Bake at 375° F, about 35 minutes. Brush with melted butter 5-10 minutes before done.

Notes

Note from mom: Rising & baking times will vary due to temperature and humidity in kitchen. Her pans are 8″ x 4″ so she gets 5-6 loaves.

Other notes: The same dough is delicious used for dinner rolls, but for a roll that will steal the show, increase the shortening & sugar to 1 cup and eggs to 4. Use only about 12 cups flour. With the added moisture from the eggs, sugar & extra shortening, dough may be too sticky to handle easily. If so, omit kneading and chill after second rising about 1 hour.

Find it online: https://recipes.jordanprins.com/bread-moms/