Country white bread

In a glass bowl, add 1 c. lukewarm water, 1 tsp. sugar & mix in 4 tsps. dry yeast until dissolved. Let sit 5 minutes, until yeast begins to activate.

While yeast is proofing, melt 4 Tblsp. butter in a bowl, add 2 cups of warmed milk combined with 4 Tblsp. honey. Add to the yeast mixture and stir.

In a large bowl, combine the liquids with 3-4 cups white flour (bread flour is best because of the gluten content) and 1 heaping tsp. salt - stir well. Continue adding flour (a BIT at a time) until a workable dough is formed. Turn onto a floured board and continue to knead 5-10 minutes until a semi-firm (but not TOO sticky or firm) dough is produced.

Put dough into a greased bowl (stoneware or pyrex) and cover loosely with a towel. Put in a draft free place and let rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and divide in 2 equal parts. Form each part into a loaf size (rolling & folding seams under) - place each pc. into a greased aluminum loaf pan (glass pans are AWFUL for bread baking- and darkened teflon pans aren't much better!). Cover loosely with a towel and let rise again until doubled in size, approx. 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the loaves in the oven and bake approx. 40-45 minutes until crust is golden... remove from oven & carefully remove a loaf of bread from a pan - tap the bottom of the loaf - if it sounds hollow, it's done. If it looks like it needs more baking time, put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.