There’s nothing like melted butter on fresh bread. This homestyle recipe for bread takes some time but the results are worth the wait. This is a sweet bread that goes well with peanut butter and jam. Instead, leave out the fruit and serve it with a steaming bowl of soup or spicy chili and you have a hearty meal for a cold winter day.
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
4 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup milk (scalded)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
2 cups raisins (optional)
Dissolve 2 tsp sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. sprinkle yeast into water mixture, let stand for 10 minutes and stir well.
Measure flour into a bowl and set aside.
Scald milk, stir in sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Add lukewarm milk mixture, shortening, eggs and 1 cup of flour to dissolved yeast mixture. Blend.
Mix yeast mixture with remaining flour and let rise in a warm place for 60 to 90 minutes.
Punch down and then mold into a bread tin. Let rise 30 to 60 minutes until doubled in size.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 minutes.
Note: This is a sweet bread suitable for mixing in raisins, dried cranberries or dried blueberries. Mix fruit in when adding the second measurement of flour
