Buttertop Bread

No need to buy those big, wide-body butter top loaves you see at the supermarket--it's easy to make your own. This bread is perfect for large-appetite sandwich eaters. From King Arthur Flour.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 50 mins
• Serves: 22
• Yields: 22 slices

Ingredients

• 5  cups  king arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 1⁄2 cup  dried  potato flakes
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1  large egg
• 4  tablespoons butter
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1 -2  tablespoon  melted butter

Directions

1. Mix and knead all of the ingredients exept the melted butter till you've made a smooth, though somewhat sticky dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise for about 90 minutes; it should become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk.
2. Shape into an oval. Place the dough in a wide, 2-pound capacity loaf pan, measuring about 12" x 6". Using a pair of scissors, cut the loaf vertically down the middle from end to end, almost but not quite to the bottom of the pan. Cover with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow it to rise till it's crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan.
3. Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, till it's golden brown; tent it lightly with aluminum foil about 20 minutes before the end of the baking time, if it appears to be browning too quickly. Remove the bread from the oven, and brush it with the melted butter.