Yield: 12 Servings
| Measure | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 2 packs | Fast-acting dry yeast |
| ¼ cup | Warm water |
| 1¾ cup | Milk |
| 3 tablespoons | Butter |
| 2 tablespoons | Sugar |
| 2 teaspoons | Salt |
| 5 cups | All-purpose flour |
| 2 tablespoons | Butter for greasing the bowl & top of dough; about |
The Shakers had communal kitchens where all the food was prepared for each and every member. Generally they had a special baking room, and this kind of bread would be coming from the oven often.
Dissolve the yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl. Warm the milk and melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in it. Stir in the sugar and salt and allow to cool to lukewarm. Add this to the yeast bowl along with 3 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. (I do all of this in my KitchenAid.) Add the remaining flour and knead on a floured board or marble until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, less time if you are using a dough hook on a good machine. Place the dough on a plastic counter and butter the top ofthe dough with half of the remaining butter. Cover the dough with a very large stainless-steel bowl and allow to rise untildouble in bulk. Punch down and shape into 2 loaves for large loafpans. Again brush the top ofthe dough and allow to rise to double in bulk. Bake at 400ø about 30 minutes.
From <The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American>. Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, .