Classic Rich Bread

I bake bread regularly, and this is an old recipe from the "Red Star Yeast Centennial Bread Sampler 1981" that I have been making probably since the book came out.  It makes a nice, golden, fine-grained sandwich loaf that’s perfect for toast.  It's really just a "good white bread".  

When you can get farm eggs, like we do from my husband’s brother and sister-in-law Don and Bonnie, this bread is even better.   The directions for mixing are mine, not the original recipe.  If you use regular dry yeast, rising times are longer.  
             

Classic Rich Bread

  5 1/2    Cups  Bread Flour

  3           Teaspoons  Instant Yeast

     1/2    cup  Sugar

  1           Teaspoon  Salt

  1           cup  Whole Milk

     1/2    Cup  Water

     1/2    cup  Butter, softened

  2           Large  Eggs

Heat water and milk to 120°-125° (I use my microwave).  Place flour (minus 1 cup), butter, sugar, salt, eggs and yeast in mixer bowl.  Using paddle attachment, turn on mixer to slow and add liquids.   Let mix 2 minutes.  Change to dough hook, add remaining flour and knead 6 minutes or knead by hand 8 minutes.  Let rise in warm place in covered mixer bowl 20 minutes.  Shape into 2 loaves, about 1# 13 oz. each, let rise in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" pans until center of loaf rounds above the rim of the pan about 1 inch, while preheating oven to 375 °.  Bake 25-30 minutes.

2014 Cost: $1.81 for the recipe or 91¢ per loaf