All Soul’s Day Bread

Holly Guile

It's the best bread recipe that I use and the best that I've ever come across. It's so good that I only make it once a year.

3 packages dry yeast

4 cups lukewarm water

1 tablespoon white sugar

5 eggs (preferably room temperature)

3 sticks melted butter

2 cupped handfuls of kosher salt

½ cup honey

¼-½ cup of molasses

9 cups whole-wheat flour

6 cups unbleached white flour

1. Pour yeast into 2 cups of the water with a tablespoon of sugar. Let sit in a warmish place for 15-20 minutes until it gets all foamy.
2. Add eggs, butter, salt, honey, molasses, the other 2 cups of water and the whole-wheat flour.
3. Blend well, then add most of the white flour and mix again. Let stand 5 minutes.
4. Turn out on to a floured board or table. Knead for 10-15 minutes.
5. Put dough into a large buttered bowl and turn over a few times until all sides are covered with butter. Cover with a damp dishtowel. Put it in a warm place (over radiator, near stove, etc).
6. Leave for 1½-2 hours while dough rises to double its original size. Punch it down and leave to rise again (another ½ hour or so).
7. Preheat Oven to 450˚F and grease and flour 5 bread pans.
8. Turn on to floured board again. Cut dough into 5 pieces and knead each one before shaping it. Put into bread pans and let rise one more time.
9. Bake bread for 10 minutes, then decrease temperature to 350˚F for another 30 minutes or until the top of the bread is a rich, dark brown. Print Recipe