Old Fashioned Kansas Yeast Bread

Sprinkle yeast over very warm water in a large bowl (very warm should feel comfortable when dropped on wrist).

Stir until yeast dissolves.

Heat milk-water mixture, sugar, butter and salt in a saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves and butter melts.

Cool to lukewarm.

Add lukewarm milk mixture to yeast.

Stir in 4 cups of flour and beat until very smooth.

Mix in 3 more cups of the flour and then turn dough out on a floured board (use some of the remaining flour for flouring the board).

Work in enough of the remaining 1 cup of flour to make a soft dough.

Knead for 10 minutes until dough is satiny and elastic.

Place dough in a greased bowl, then turn greased side up.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch dough down; divide in half.

Cover with dry cloth and let dough rest 10 minutes.

Roll each piece of dough into an 18 x 9-inch rectangle. Roll up from the short side, jelly roll fashion.

Press each end to seal, then tuck ends underneath loaves.

Place shaped loaves in two greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans, seam sides down.

Cover with a dry cloth and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Bake in a hot oven (400°) for 25 to 30 minutes, until nicely browned and loaves sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from oven.

Ease loaves out of pans and cool upright on wire racks.