Homemade White Bread

What’s better than the aroma of freshly baked bread on a cool Fall or Winters Day? One of my favorite things is the smell of freshly baked bread. It always takes me back to days gone by… I can almost feel the warmth of my Great Grammy’s old wood stove.

Bread is not a difficult thing to make. It just takes a little practice. When making homemade bread, you should plan to set aside at least 4 hours of your day to dedicate to this task. It will be well worth the effort!

Directions:

Yield: One 8″ pan (4-6 servings)

1. Put three cups of flour, shortening, sugar and yeast in large mixing bowl. Blend together with wooden spoon.
2. Add water and another cup of flour. Blend together.
3. Add another 1/2 cup of flour and the salt. Blend together.
4. Dump contents of bowl onto counter and continue to blend by hand and knead the dough adding flour as required to prevent sticking.
5. Knead dough for 8 – 10 minutes or until you have a nice smooth ball that is no longer sticky.
6. Place in large bowl greased with shortening and cover with a clean towel. Place in a warm, draft free area to rise until double in size (approx. one and a half hours).
7. Punch down and shape into loaves. Place in greased 8″ loaf pans, cover with clean towel and allow to rise in warm, draft free area for another hour, until double in size.
8. Remove towel and place in preheated 400°F oven, center rack, for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and pans. Brush crust lightly with butter or margarine and cool on wire racks.

ENJOY!!!