4 Loaves of Bread

In a large pan (recommend stock pot) heat milk to boiling. Remove from heat

Add butter (3 tbsp), salt (4 tsp), and sugar (1/4 cup). When melted, add water (2 cup)

When mixture is lukewarm, add yeast and 5 cups of the flour. Stir and cover with towel for about a half hour

Add the rest of the flour (7 cup) and knead with your hands for about 10 minutes

Let rise until double in bulk (overnight is fine)

Punch down and let rise until double in bulk again

Punch down, mold into loves and place in buttered pans

Optional: for a Christmas loaf, roll the dough out as thin as possible, sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, and crushed nuts on the dough and then roll it up into a loaf and place in loaf pan.

Preheat over to 325 degrees

When double in bulk, place in oven for 20 minutes

Turn oven heat to 375 degrees for 20 minutes

Turn oven to 200 degrees (gas oven) or off (electric oven) for last 20 minutes

Ideal rising temperature is 70 degrees but it will rise overnight at 60 degrees or on a summer day at 80 degrees or more. The trick is to not kill the yeast while the dough is rising, either with too much or too cold temperature