White Bread

Difficulty: easy Prep Time: More than 15 Minutes Total Time: More than 1 hour
15-16 cups flour
2 tbsp instant yeast
5 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp salt
4 cups warm water
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Mix together dry ingredients. Mix together water and butter, and add to dry ingredients. Mix and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled (about an hour). Punch down and shape into 4 equal loaves. Place in greased loaf pans. (To make two-bun bread, divide in half again and fit two buns per loaf pan.) Cover and allow to rise until doubled (about an hour). Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes, or until hollow sounding when knocked on the bottom. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. Makes 4 loaves.