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Sheepherder's Bread
1/2 C (1/4 LB) butter
1/2 C sugar
1 TBS salt
3 C hot water
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
7 to 7-1/2 C flour
Vegetable oil
In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, salt and hot water. Stir until butter melts. Allow to cool for a few minutes before stirring in yeast. Cover and set aside in a warm place until mixture bubbles, about ten minutes. Add five cups flour; beat until batter is smooth. Add more flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on a floured board for about ten minutes; add just enough flour to prevent sticking. Place dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover with a damp dish towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about one hour to ninety minutes. Punch down dough and knead for another ten minutes. Form a smooth ball. Liberally grease sides and inside lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with vegetable oil. Place a round of aluminum foil in the bottom of Dutch oven; dust lightly with flour. Place dough in Dutch oven and cover. Let rise in a warm place until dough pushes up lid. Place Dutch oven in middle of 375-degrees F oven; bake for about twelve minutes. Carefully loosen raw edges with a flat table knife; remove lid. Bake bread, uncovered, for forty-five to fifty minutes or until golden. Cover loosely with foil during the last twenty minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Remove from oven. Loosen loaf from Dutch oven with a flat table knife; place on a wire rack to cool before slicing and serving.
Related Link:
Food Fare Culinary Collection: Basque Flavors
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