“I find that this bread, which includes some fat and sweetening, keeps better than classic French bread. Using a glaze and a pan of boiling water on the oven floor helps create a delicious thick crust.”
Ingredients
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1/3 cup water
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon salt
5 to 6 cups flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon cream
Instructions
Mix the yeast into 1/3 cup lukewarm water and dissolve. Heat the milk to lukewarm and add butter, honey, and salt. When butter is melted, add the yeast-water mix, and gradually add the flour, stirring first, then kneading until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a cloth; and let rise until doubled. Punch down and let rise for 40 minutes. Knead briefly and shape into long slim loaves. Let rise again until doubled. Cut diagonal slashes in the loaves, brush tops with milk, and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Ten minutes before loaves are finished, brush with an egg mixed with cream. Set a pie tin full of boiling water on the oven floor or lower shelf to improve the crust.
