2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp Red Star yeast
2 cups warm water
8 cups unsifted Pillsbury Unbleached or King Arthur Unbleach Flour*
1. Scald milk
2. Stir in sugar, salt and butter.
3. Cool to luke warm (80-90 degrees).
4. Add water into large bowl.
5. Sprinkle in yeast and stir until dissolved.
6. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
7. Add milk mixture and 1/2 of the flour.
8. Beat until smooth.
9. Add the rest of the flour, mix, and turn onto a floured board.
10. Knead for 10-12 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
11. Place in a greased bowl, and turn dough so that top is greased.
12. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
13. Punch down the dough, recover with damp cloth, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
14. Shape into a loaf, and let rise for an hour.
15. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
16. Remove from oven, and place on a rack to cool before serving.
* Use unbleached flour for best flavor. Unbleached flour is bright white, it's just more time consuming to make. Flour will whiten naturally after milling. Since the natural whitening takes time (about 6 months), many producers speed up the process using chemicals. That process and chemical addition can alter the taste of foods made from bleached flour.
