How to Make Granny's Homemade White Bread & Rolls

My Tennessee Granny's scrumptious homemade egg bread and roll recipe is a family heirloom easy enough for even beginning cooks to master.

Granny had a mountain-man husband and ten kids to feed through WWI and the Great Depression. When there was nothing else to put on the table for her family, there were always loaves of crusty, golden brown bread and pans of big, fluffy rolls still warm from the oven to fill the void. The sweet aroma of yeasty bread met her family at the front gate, gave them a loving hug, and comforted them through even the toughest times. Since Granny could neither read nor write, three generations of cooks learned her secret to fabulous bread under her watchful eye as soon as we were old enough to stand on a chair and knead dough. Fearing the secrets would be lost after Granny's death, Aunt Sarah wrote this recipe and the instructions to serve future generations. Granny's basic bread dough recipe yields either 2 big loaves of bread (3 cottage loaves) or two big pans of dinner rolls or cinnamon rolls. Enjoy this mouth-watering goodness!

Ingredients:

• 3 Packets Active Dry Yeast
• 2 C. warm water
• 1 Whole egg
• 2 Egg yolks
• 3 Tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Can Evaporated Milk
• 3 Tbsp. shortening or lard
• 8-10 C. sifted all-purpose white flour or bread flour
  

* Sift the flour, twice, into a large bowl & set aside. Sprinkle a small handful of the sifted flour on your table or counter where you intend to knead the dough.

* Pour 2 cups of very warm tap water into a large mixing bowl. Stir in 3 packets of dry yeast & allow to stand 5 minutes to soften. Add eggs, salt, sugar, & shortening to the yeast mixture with a whisk. Mixture will be slightly lumpy due to the solid shortening.

* With a whisk, blend 1/3 of your sifted flour (approx. 3 cups) into the liquid mixture, a little at a time, until smooth.

* Add 1 can of undiluted evaporated milk and whisk smooth.

* Using a large wooden spoon, begin adding the remaining sifted flour, 1/2 cup at a time, reserving about 1 1/2 cups flour for kneading the dough in the next step. Dough should be quite sticky at this point, but should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl as you stir.

* Turn the dough mixture out of the bowl onto your floured surface for kneading. Continue to sprinkle just enough sifted flour over the top to keep the dough from sticking to your hands as you knead. Knead the dough well to activate the gluten in the flour. Don't overdo the flour, however, or your bread will be heavy and coarse. Well kneaded dough will appear smooth and elastic and should be slightly sticky when pressed with an unfloured finger.

* Grease a large bowl with 1 tbsp. vegetable oil. Gather bread dough into a huge lump and drop it into the greased bowl. Turn it over, once, to coat with the vegetable oil. Place a cotton dishtowel over the top of the bowl and set the dough to raise in a warm place, free of cool drafts, until it doubles in volume.

* Oil your hands with a little vegetable oil. Punch the dough down in the bowl with your fist to release most of the air. Divide the dough and shape into individual loaves. Place these in well greased loaf pans, cover with the cotton dishtowel, and set aside to raise a second time until double in volume. If you are making rolls, keep your hands lightly oiled to prevent dough sticking to your fingers as you pinch off pieces of dough the size of a small Mandarin orange. Place the roll dough pieces closely together without crowding in a well-greased oblong baking pan. Cover & allow to raise double in size.

* Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cooking time may vary depending upon the accuracy of your oven. Slightly less cooking time is required for rolls. Bread loaves are done when they sound hollow when thumped with your finger.

* Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Turn bread loaves out of the pan and onto their sides on a wire rack to finish cooling. Rolls can remain in the pan until ready to serve.

* Bread slices best when it is completely cool. Use a serrated bread knife, a sawing motion, & light pressure to avoid smashing soft bread. Get out the sweet cream butter, your best jam, and enjoy!

Additional Tips & Hints:

* Granny's recipe is an egg bread, but the eggs can be omitted if your have allergies or are watching your cholesterol intake.

* If you like a soft crust on your bread and rolls, rub the baked bread with a little butter or margarine while still hot from the oven.

* For a hard bread crust (like French bread) use a spray bottle of cool water to mist the loaves and oven twice during baking. Just open the oven door and spray 2 or 3 times.

* Remember to use only enough flour in the kneading process to keep the dough workable without sticking badly to your hands and fingers. Too much flour makes bread heavy and coarse in texture.

* Knead the dough long & well to activate the gluten in the flour. This will give the finest, softest texture, & bread that will not crumble and fall apart when sliced.

* Homemade bread has no preservatives & spoils faster than commercial bread. Wrap in plastic and store in a cool place (refrigerator, if necessary) to keep for up to a week.

* I now use a heavy-duty mixer with dough forks to begin mixing Granny's recipe. It saves my arm & shortens the amount of time spent hand-kneading the dough. When the mixer begins to "walk" on the counter, turn the dough out onto a floured surface to finish the kneading process.