Basic White Bread

This is my basic white bread recipe. If you are nervous about baking with yeast here are some tips.

This is how my mother makes bread. A full batch will make four loaves or 3 loaves and some buns.
You can halve most of the ingredients for a half batch. In that case the yeast and salt amount remain the same.


Ingredients:

1 package dried yeast(2-1/4 teaspoons)
4 cups warm water or milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cooking oil, shortening, or butter
1 teaspoon salt
11-12 cups flour

In a very large bowl, add the yeast and water or milk.
Add a small amount of the sugar.
Let sit for about 5-10 minutes until the mixtures gets all foamy.
Add the rest of the sugar and oil.
Stir and add a few cups of flour.
Stir well and keep adding flour and mixing in.
The dough will get so you need to mix the last of the flour in with your hands.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Grease your bowl.
Put the bread dough into the bowl and turn over so the the top of the dough is greased.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise until double.
It will take an hour or two.
Punch down the dough.
Now, you can either put it in pans to rise again or you can just let it rise again in the bowl.
If you let the dough rise a second time in the bowl, the bread seems a little lighter than if it only rises one time in the bowl and another in the pan.
After the dough has risen a second time in the bowl, punch down and let rest while you ready your pans.
Grease the pans. Either 8x4 or 9x5.
Shape the bread into loaves or balls for buns and put into pan.
Cover with towel and let rise.
This will take another 30-45 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put loaves into oven and bake for 30 minutes.
It is done if the bread is golden brown and has a hollow sound when thumped.
Turn out the bread onto a wire rack to cool.