Honey White Bread

2 loaves

BREADS

Ina Garten At Home (p. 57)

Ingredients

Dry yeast - 2 packages

Sugar - 1 tsp

Whole milk - 1 12 cups

Unsalted butter - 34 stick

Honey - 1 12 tbl

All-purpose flour - 6 cups

Eggs - 2

Prep

Whole milk - warm to 110 deg. F

Butter - melt and allow to cool slightly

Eggs - separate the yolks from the whites reserving two yolks and 1 white

Instructions

Place 12 cup of warm water (110 deg. F) in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment (or mix by hand). If the bowl is cold, be sure the water temperature doesn't drop below 110 degrees. Add the yeast and sugar, stir and allow them to dissolve for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, butter and honey. Mix on medium speed until blended. Add the 2 egg yolks, 3 cups of the flour, and 1 tbl of salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low, add 2 more cups of flour. Raise the speed to medium and slowly add just enough of the remaining flour so the dough doesn't stick to the bowl. Add the flour slowly, you can always add more but you can't take it out. Knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Dump the dough out onto a floured board or surface and knead by hand for one minute, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a bowl with butter, put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over in the bowl so the top also is lightly buttered. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in volume.

Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans with butter. Divide the dough in half, roll each half into a loaf shape and place each in a pre-greased pan. Cover again with the damp towel and allow to rise again for 1 hour until doubled in volume.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the dough is ready, brush the tops with 1 egg white and bake the breads for 40 to 45 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped. Turn them out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.