Basic Sweet Dough

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 8 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1.25 cups cold water
• 2 , 0.6 ounce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 0.5 cups white sugar
• 4 tablespoons shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted shortening

Instructions

1. 1

   Scald milk in a medium saucepan. Add cold water to scalded milk. Remove 1/4 cup liquid; mix yeast into liquid when cooled to lukewarm. To liquid in saucepan, add salt, sugar, shortening, and eggs. Add dissolved yeast to saucepan. Mix well.

2. 2

   Sift and measure the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, and pour the liquids into the well. Stir with a large wooden spoon until liquid disappears.

3. 3

   With one hand, mix dough in bowl using swinging rotary motion. Gradually form dough into smooth ball, then knead in bowl for 2 minutes. Brush top with melted shortening. Cover, and allow dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

4. 4

   Punch down dough. Use dough for any sweet bread recipe.