Basic Sweet Dough Recipe
- 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
- 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.