Bread for the body and soul

OK, I bake all the bread (OK 98.5% of it!) for our family. I figure that I have made, on an average, 6 loaves of bread every week for the last 30 years. I think that is 1800 loaves of bread, but I was a liberal arts major and I avoided math! (OK I just did the actual math and it came out to 9360 0r 6 loaves, 52 weeks and 30 years!!! WOW!)
It all began when I was in college and had a prof who drove me crazy. He had decided I was a B-C student and NOTHING I did could change his mind. I am NOT, most emphatically NOT, a B-C student. It drove me crazy. I would get home from school at 11 p.m. and not be able to sleep because I was so hung up on his opinion. Somewhere in there I decided that I might as well make use of the 'fret-time' and so I started making bread. This had the added advantage 0f letting me punch the bread while picturing said prof's face! That bread was very smooth!
Over the years people have asked for my recipe and I try to share it, but the truth is that I do it by feel now. A handful of this and a pinch of that. However, I am going to try to teach how to bake bread today on this blog. Good luck anyone who tries!

First: Here is the basic recipe I use.
2 cups milk
4 cups hot water
3 packages of dry yeast
2/3 cup sugar, divided
1 heaping tablespoon salt
1/2 to 2/3 cup olive oil
flour (enough)

OK so I can't tell you how much flour. Sorry I have never measured it. My grandmother's recipe said 'flour'. So you are getting an authentic recipe here!

The first thing I do is to measure the milk in a large 4 cup measuring cup. Then I microwave the milk for 2 minutes. You don't want it to boil, just get real hot, so it will depend on your microwave. You can scald it on the stove top, but I never had the patience for that!
While the milk is heating, put the yeast and a tablespoon of sugar in a large bowl. And I do mean large. This recipe makes 6 loaves of bread so give it room. When the milk is hot, pour it on the yeast and sugar, add the hot water. I just use it as hot as it comes from the tap. Stir it with a wooden spoon and let it sit for at least 5 minutes - but it can sit for up to 30 if you get busy.
When it looks like this, it is ready for the next step.

Add the remainder of the sugar and the salt. Then add the oil. Stir thoroughly and begin to add flour. Keep stirring the flour in until you can work it with your hands without it sticking to everything.
At this point you are going to turn it out onto a floured surface and begin kneading it. Now this isn't just poking at the dough. This is mixing everything and making the dough elastic and smooth. The best way I have found is to push away from myself, then fold that part back to the middle and turn a quarter turn and repeat. (I wanted to get pictures of this, but I was alone and it just doesn't work that way!) Anyway, you keep doing this until the dough is elastic - this means stretchy and not sticky. Recipes tell you it takes 10 minutes, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. But longer is always better than not enough.
When the dough is thoroughly kneaded, place it in the same bowl you originally mixed it in...only make sure to oil the bowl first!!! Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise. This can take an hour to 2 hours depending on the weather. If it is cool, I put it in the one room we always heat - the library, not because I spend a lot of time in there, but because it is also home to an anole and they are not tolerant of the low temperatures for which our midwest is known.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down - just poke it back into the bowl. Then turn it out onto the lightly floured surface and cover with the bowl while you get the loaf pan ready. I use a vegetable spray, but I have also used my fingers to grease the pans. When they are ready divide the dough in half. Then divide each half into 3 equal parts. Shape the pieces into a loaf and place in the greased pan. Cover with the plastic wrap and towel and let rise for about half an hour. This is also when I pre-heat my oven to 365 degrees.

When the dough has just rounded over the top of the sides of the pans, I put it in the oven. It bakes for about 35-40 minutes or until a loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Take it out and place on a rack to completely cool. BUT before it cools take a small amount of shortening and grease the tops. I use a baggie on my hand and just quickly rub it over the hot tops of the loaves. Then I let them completely cool and freeze them in zipper bags in the freezer. They will last about a month - or so they tell me - we have never had one last more than a week!!!
There are multiple variations, one of our favorites is to add a handful of flaxseed and use molasses instead of sugar. You can substitute whole wheat - but play with it - if you use all whole wheat, it makes a VERY heavy bread that will mold quickly. We like it about half and half. I have also added rolled oats. Good luck and....
ENJOY!