Homemade Bread

I have been making this bread recipe for a long time now. It is a simple bread recipe.

• Ready In: 5 hrs 45 mins
• Serves: 48
• Yields: 4 Loaves

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup warm water
• 2 (1/4ounce) packages  traditional  yeast
• 2  teaspoons sugar
• 4  cups warm water
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 2  tablespoons salt
• 3  tablespoons bacon drippings
• 9  cups flour

Directions

1. Pour 1/2 cup warm water in tall glass, add yeast and 2 rounded tsp sugar. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. As yeast mixture is working, pour 4 cups of water in sauce pan, add 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp salt and 3 tbsp bacon drippings. Stir until bacon drippings are melted. Shortening can be used, but the flavour is not as good.
3. Pour 6 cups flour in large bowl, make a well in the middle, pour in saucepan mixture. Mix yeast well and pour into flour mixture. Add 3 more cups of flour and mix top to bottom until formed.
4. Pour extra flour on counter and knead dough until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky (about 10 minutes). Place in a large greased (bacon Fat)glass bowl. Cover with clean towel and let stand for 1-½ hours in a draft free place. (Inside oven with light on is ideal).
5. Remove from bowl and punch down dough on lightly floured counter. Return to bowl and cover with towel and let stand for one more hour.
6. Remove from bowl and punch down dough on lightly floured counter.
7. Cut into four equal parts and roll like a baby blanket. Place in 4-greased (bacon drippings) loaf pans and cover with towel. Let stand 21/2 hours then bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes (Until golden brown).
8. Remove from oven and turn loaves over on countertop (Taking them out of the pans). Let cool completely before bagging the loaves. They cool faster if you turn them around every ten minutes or so.