White Bread

2 cups hot tap water
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
3 TBSP. instant yeast
8 cups white flour
1/3 cup melted butter or oil
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup white flour for sprinkling

In a very large bowl, add the hot water and milk. Add sugar and egg. Sprinkle yeast over all. Mix with a wire whisk until smooth. Add 3 cups of flour. Mix until smooth. Add the melted butter and salt. Beat until well combined. Then add 4 1/2 cups flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until all mixed in. Gradually add the last 1/2 cup flour with your hands, kneading gently for 5 to 10 minutes (I still use the kitchen aid for this).

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Punch down dough, making sure to sprinkle any sticky parts with flour. Place on a floured surface. Flatten out with hands to a square 1" thick. Cut into 4 equal pieces.

Oil 4 - 9"x 5" loaf pans. Work each piece separately. Starting with end closest to you, roll up jelly-roll fashion, pinch seams to seal. Place seam side down in a loaf pan. Repeat with remaining pieces.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake loaves 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned and bread sounds hollow when tapped.

Homemade Yeast Rolls

Trying this recipe today - from Frugal Food. Working really great!

2 cups lukewarm water (free!)
2 Tbsp yeast (or 2 pkgs) (50c)
1/2 cup sugar (11c)*
Mix well. Let set for about 15mins or until bubbly. This will test if the yeast is good. Bad (old) yeast won't bubble.
Add:
2 eggs (12c)
1 Tbsp salt (negligible)
1/2 cup oil (13c)
6-8cups flour (until not sticky) (1.00)
I used 1/2 cup melted margarine instead of the oil.
Mix until dough forms. Let set 45mins or more. Punch down & knead. Divide into loaves & place in greased loaf pans OR pull off dough and form into 2" balls to make hot rolls. Bake at 350F 45mins to 1hr for bread, 20-30mins for rolls. Makes 2 loaves or 30 rolls.

So the plan is to use half the dough for some homemade fried bread and make some buns with what's left.

EDITED TO REPORT - Fantastic dough for fry bread. So so good - would also make fantastic elephant ears. Buns were a lovely texture - a tad too sweet for my liking...but Russ loved them.

Pizza Dough

Our favorite. Also shared on my blog. Recipe is originially from Cookin' with the Crazylady.

4 1/2 cups white flour
1 tsp. instant yeast
1 scant tsp. salt
1 TBSP sugar
1 2/3 cups lukewarm water
*1TBSP gluten flour

*Canadian flour is naturally high in gluten and doesn't require the extra TBSP of gluten flour.

Put 2 1/2 cups of flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and water in a large bowl (Dude, I love my Kitchen Aid mixer and after I mix with a wooden spoon, I just let the mixer do the rest). Beat with a wooden spoon to mix. Add the rest of the flour and mix until it forms a ball. Knead 5 to 10 minutes (Kitchen Aid mixer for 5). Cut dough in half and form each half into a ball. Let rest for 15 minutes. You can use right away but for BEST results do this: put the two dough balls into a large ziploc bag and toss in the fridge. The longer you chill it the better - works great if you make the night before you use it. Can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Makes 2, 14" pizza's. I bake at 500'F for 10 - 12 minutes.