Basic White Homemade Bread Dough

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Measure water into a bowl. Add sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes to let the yeast activate.

Step 2

In a mixing bowl, add 3 1/2 cups flour and salt.

Step 3

When your yeast is activated, pour over flour. Add lard.

Step 4

Stir together (it's ok if the lard doesn't melt all the way!), adding more flour if needed to make a thick mass of dough that's still doughy but no extra flour in the bowl. I use 4 cups of flour total, sometimes more in humid weather.

Step 5

Sprinkle flour out onto cupboard or board to dump your dough onto.

Step 6

Begin kneading -- pull from the top, fold over and push back to the top with the heals of your hand, turn a quarter of a turn, and repeat. Keep this up until it is nice and pliable and soft, usually about 10 minutes.

Step 7

Grease your mixing bowl that you used to mix everything up in, put the dough back in, and turn over so all parts of the dough is greased.

Step 8

Cover with a dish towel and let sit in a warm area until the dough is doubled in size.

Step 9

Punch all the air out.

Step 10

Shape into a loaf, place in greased bread pan, let rise until double in size and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 350 oven for a beautiful loaf of bread