FRANCES COOK'S BREAD & ROLLS

Steps:

• Scald milk and pour over sugar, shortening, & salt.
• Let it cool to lukewarm while softening yeast in a small bowl with the warm water.
• When soft, add the egg and beat together slightly.
• Pour the yeast/egg mixture into the milk mixture and stir them together.
• The flour may be sifted or poured into the liquid.
• With a large spoon, stir until flour/milk is well mixed.
• You should have a firm, but not stiff dough.
• Without removing it from the bowl, cover the dough with a plate or towel and set aside to rise until double in bulk (about 2 hrs depending on the temperature in the kitchen).
• Instead of letting the dough rise at this point you may put it in the refrigerator and use it later, or the next day.
• Watch to make sure it doesn't spill out of the bowl.
• If it starts to spill before you're ready to use it, punch it back down.
• Refrigerated dough is easier to handle but takes longer to rise.
• BREAD:
• If you want to make bread, dump the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and with more flour as needed to keep it from sticking, knead it until springy and easy to handle.
• This dough does not require a lot of kneading; only enough to make it easy to handle.
• For 2 medium size loaves cut the dough in half and knead/shape each into loaves and put into greased baking pans.
• Allow about 2 hours for the dough to double again.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven until lightly browned on top (if uncertain whether or not bread is done, tip out of pan and see if bottom is browned too).
• ROLLS:
• To make rolls, work and knead dough until springy and easily handled.
• Roll out with a rolling pin and cut with a biscuit cutter and fold over and place on a greased cookie sheet (Parkerhouse rolls), or break dough into small pieces, make into little balls and place 3 in each section of a greased muffin pan (Cloverleaf rolls).
• SWEET ROLLS:
• For Christmas bread or sweet rolls, roll out dough as for Parkerhouse rolls, except trying to make an oblong instead of a round.
• Spread it with raisins and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
• Dot with butter and roll as for a jelly roll.
• Slice and place on a greased pan or make into a circle and make slashes through the dough at intervals.
• Let rise and bake as for loaves.
• Top with an icing made of confectioners' sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla or rum flavoring and drizzle over the bread or rolls while hot.
• Decorate with nuts or fruits.
• If you want to make a whole wheat bread, use half white and half whole wheat flour, and use brown sugar instead of white.
• The amounts above will yield 1 large or 2 medium loaves of bread, or 2 dozen large rolls.