The Never-Fail Recipe for Good Bread

If you are to succeed in making a good and palatable loaf of homemade bread, you must bear in mind just a few facts: Temperature and accurate measurements are very important factors for success.
A recipe that calls for lukewarm water is deceptive. Lukewarm water is any temperature between 100 degrees and 125 degrees Fahrenheit, much too warm for the delicate yeast bacteria or culture. If this is so, then what temperature, you ask, will assure good bread? Eighty degrees Fahrenheit is the proper temperature to use when making homemade bread. This really means a temperature eighteen degrees cooler than your body, so that you will notice the water is quite cool. Do not be alarmed by this and think that there must be some mistake. Just use the water, regardless of how you think it feels. If you follow the recipe closely, you will have moist and delicious bread that will satisfy the entire family.
Here is the recipe:

In a large bowl, place:
Two cups of water (80 degrees Fahrenheit)
Two level tablespoons of sugar,
Two level teaspoons of salt,
Two level tablespoons of shortening.

Add to these 2 teaspoons of yeast, and four level cups of sifted flour. When measuring sifted flour, make sure you place it in a measuring cup carefully, with a spoon.
Beat the mixture hard with a spoon and then add four more cups of flour and knead until it is smooth and elastic. This means that if you hold the dough in your hands it will stretch. Now rub the cleansed mixing bowl with shortening and press the prepared dough firmly against the bottom of the bowl. Then turn the dough over, so that the dough that was touching the bottom of the bowl is now facing up in the bowl.
Cover the dough and set in place free from drafts for three and one-half hours to rise.
The pressing of the dough against the bottom of the greased bowl will coat the entire surface of the dough with shortening and prevent a hard crust from forming while the dough is rising.
Do not place the bowl containing the dough on the stove or near a radiator, or where a draft will strike it. I have found that the best place for this bread dough while rising is either in a bread box or closely wrapped in a cloth and placed in the bottom part of the kitchen cabinet.

To finish the bread:
After the dough has stood three and one-half hours, bring to the table and punch the dough firmly to the bottom of the bowl. Turn the dough over once more and let rise one hour, then turn on a board and shape into loaves. Place the prepared loaves into well greased pan and let rise forty-five minutes, then bake in a moderate oven for forty-five minutes. You will find this bread is truly delicious.
This recipe will make three 1-pound loaves of bread.

Anna Marcus enjoys trying out old bread recipes, and discovering all sorts of old recipes .