White Bread or Rolls

A good basic white bread or roll recipe.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1  pinch sugar
• 1  tablespoon  yeast
• 3  tablespoons sugar
• 1⁄4 cup shortening or 1⁄4 cup  vegetable oil
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 4 -4 1⁄2 cups flour

Directions

1. Sprinkle yeast in 1/4 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar.
2. Let rest 5 minutes.
3. Mix in remaining ingredients and 1/2 the flour.
4. Beat well with wooden spoon, slowly stir in remaining flour. (When adding flour I start with a full cup, as the dough takes shape I only add a 1/2 cup at a time. Too much flour at once can make for very dry tough bread.)
5. Knead 8 minutes and add more flour if sticky.
6. Let rise until double in bulk (about 2 hour). Punch down.
7. Let rest 5 minutes.
8. Shape into loaves or rolls and place in 2 greased medium (8.5 inch x 4.5 inch) bread pans or 2 round 8" cake pans for rolls; about 7 rolls in each pan.
9. Let raise until double in bulk (about 1 hour). Bake at 350'F 35 for rolls or 45-50 minutes for bread.
10. Brush crust with butter while still warm.