How to Make Granny's Old Fashioned White Bread & Rolls

My Tennessee Granny's scrumptious white bread and roll recipe is a family heirloom. Granny had a mountain-man husband and ten kids to feed through WWI and the Great Depression. When there was nothing else to put on the table for her family, there were always loaves of crusty, golden brown bread and pans of big, fluffy rolls still warm from the oven to fill the void. The sweet aroma of yeasty bread met her family at the front gate, gave them a bear hug, and comforted them through even the toughest times.

Since Granny could neither read nor write, three generations of cooks learned her secret to fabulous bread under her watchful eye as soon as we were old enough to stand on a chair and knead dough. Fearing the secrets would be lost after Granny's death, Aunt Sarah wrote this recipe and the instructions to serve future generations.

Granny's basic bread dough recipe yields 2 huge loaves of bread, or two big pans of dinner rolls or cinnamon rolls. Enjoy!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 3 Packets Yeast
• 2 C. warm water
• 1 Whole egg
• 2 Egg yolks
• 3 Tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Can Evaporated Milk
• 3 Tbsp. shortening or lard
• 8-10 C. sifted white flour

1. 
    
   Sift 8-10 C. White All-Purpose Flour

   Sift the flour, twice, into a large bowl & set aside. Sprinkle a small handful of the sifted flour on your table or counter where you intend to knead the dough.

2. 
    
   The liquid stage

   Pour 2 cups of very warm tap water into a large mixing bowl. Stir in 3 packets of dry yeast & allow to stand 5 minutes to soften. Add eggs, salt, sugar, & shortening to the yeast mixture with a whisk. Mixture will be slightly lumpy due to the solid shortening.

3. 
    
   Add flour a little at a time

   With a whisk, blend 1/3 of your sifted flour (approx. 3 cups) into the liquid mixture, a little at a time, until smooth.

4. Add 1 can of undiluted evaporated milk and whisk smooth.

5. Using a large wooden spoon, begin adding the remaining sifted flour, 1/2 cup at a time, reserving about 1 1/2 cups flour for kneading the dough in the next step. Dough should be quite sticky at this point, but should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl as you stir.

6. 
    
   Knead until smooth & elastic

   Turn the dough mixture out of the bowl onto your floured surface for kneading. Continue to sprinkle just enough sifted flour over the top to keep the dough from sticking to your hands as you knead. Knead the dough well to activate the gluten in the flour. Don't overdo the flour, however, or your bread will be heavy and coarse. Well kneaded dough will appear smooth and elastic and should be slightly sticky when pressed with an unfloured finger.

7. Grease a large bowl with 1 tbsp. vegetable oil. Gather bread dough into a huge lump and drop it into the greased bowl. Turn it over, once, to coat with the vegetable oil. Place a cotton dishtowel over the top of the bowl and set the dough to rise in a warm place, free of cool drafts. Allow the dough to rise until double in volume.

8. 
    
   Roll dough ready for the pan

   Punch the dough down with your fist to release most of the air. Divide the dough in half and shape into individual loaves. Place these in well greased loaf pans, cover with the cotton dishtowel, and set aside to raise a second time until double in volume. If you are making rolls, keep your hands lightly oiled to prevent dough sticking to your fingers as you pinch off pieces of dough the size of a Mandarine orange. Place the roll dough pieces closely together without crowding in a well-greased oblong baking pan. Cover & raise to double size.

9. 
    

   Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cooking time may vary depending upon the accuracy of your oven. Slightly less cooking time is required for rolls. Bread loaves should sound hollow when thumped with your finger.

10. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Turn bread loaves out of the pan and onto their sides on a wire rack to finish cooling. Rolls can remain in the pan until ready to serve.

11. 
     
    Mmm...Granny's fresh homemade bread!

    Bread slices best when it is completely cool. Use a serrated bread knife, a sawing motion, and light pressure to avoid smashing soft bread. Get out the sweet cream butter, fresh jam, and enjoy!

Tips & Warnings

• Granny's recipe is an egg bread, but the eggs can be omitted if your have allergies or watching your cholesterol intake.
• If you like a soft crust on your bread and rolls, rub the baked bread with a little butter or margarine while still hot from the oven.
• For a hard bread crust (like French bread) use a spray bottle of cool water to mist the loaves and oven twice during baking.
• Remember to use only enough flour in the kneading process to keep the dough workable without sticking badly to your hands and fingers. Too much flour makes bread heavy and coarse in texture.
• Knead the dough long & well to activate the gluten in the flour. This will give the finest, softest texture, & bread that does not crumble and fall apart when sliced.

[JL1543]

on 11/22/2008 This sounds wonderful. Thank you for sharing.