Basic Bread 2

Ingredients:

1 lb flour

2 level teaspoons salt

1 oz butter or lard

1/2 oz yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 pint warm milk (approx)

Method:

You can make this dough into either a loaf, rolls or you can even make it into a plait loaf.

Sieve the flour and salt together, and rub in the butter or lard with the fingertips.

Mix the yeast and the sugar together until liquid, and then add some of the warmed milk.

Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with remaining milk to a slack dough.

Cover the dough, and leave it in a warm place to rise until it doubles in bulk - about an hour.

Knead the bread until it is smooth and elastic, and shape however you choose (if not straight into a loaf tin). Put in a warm place to rise for the last time (this is referred to as "proving").

Bake the bread in a hot oven for a short time (15-20 minutes for a loaf), then lower the temperature to moderate, and cook until ready.

When bread is done, it should be well risen and golden; if taken from the tin and tapped underneath with the knuckles, it should sound hollow.

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