Neil's Harbour Bread

Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons traditional yeast
• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil or 1/2 cup melted shortening
• 9 cups all-purpose flour

Recipe

• 1 in a large warmed pottery bowl place the first 1 cup of lukewarm water. dissolve into it 1 t. sugar and sprinkle the yeast over it.
• 2 after about 10 minutes the yeast should be frothy and have risen to the surface of the water. stir until blended, making sure all the yeast is dissolved.
• 3 into the yeast mixture stir the remaining water, sugar,1 heaping t. of salt and oil.
• 4 beat, then stir in, 1 cup at a time, the flour.
• 5 mix until it requires muscle. you may not need all the flour. the dough should hang together and be easy to handle, but still a little moist.
• 6 on a floured surface, place the dough, sprinkle with more flour as needed, and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. this usually takes about 8 minutes.
• 7 place the dough back in the bowl, cover with plastic and a nice heavy towel, and let rise in a warm draft free place. ( i usually only bake bread on sunny days.).
• 8 let dough rise for 1-2 hours or until it's doubled in size. when you stick your finger in the dough the imprint should remain.
• 9 punch the dough down and form into loaves.
• 10 place the loaves into well greased loaf pans, cover and let rise again- about an hour.
• 11 bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until golden top and bottom, and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
• 12 remove from pans and let cool on a rack.
• 13 * to make hamburger buns,roll about 1/2 inch thick, cut the dough with a wide glass(i use the top of a martini shaker)and place buns on a greased cookie sheet, not quite touching. i usually add a good portion of grated old cheddar cheese to the dough before cutting the rounds and letting it rise for the second time. just before baking at 425 for 10-15 minutes, i make an egg wash with one egg mixed with 1 t. water and sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or for a real treat montreal steak spice. they freeze very well. makes about 20 buns.