Basic Sweet Dough

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 8 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups cold water
• 2 (0.6 ounce) cakes compressed fresh yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 4 tablespoons shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted shortening

Directions

Scald milk in a medium saucepan. Add cold water to scalded milk. Remove 1/4 cup liquid; mix yeast into liquid when cooled to lukewarm. To liquid in saucepan, add salt, sugar, shortening, and eggs. Add dissolved yeast to saucepan. Mix well.

Sift and measure the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, and pour the liquids into the well. Stir with a large wooden spoon until liquid disappears.

With one hand, mix dough in bowl using swinging rotary motion. Gradually form dough into smooth ball, then knead in bowl for 2 minutes. Brush top with melted shortening. Cover, and allow dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Punch down dough. Use dough for any sweet bread recipe.