Making Bread by Hand!

Year six of 4-H foods was making
yeast bread from scratch by hand.
Dad watched me as I kneaded
the dough, pushing it four times
with the base of my hand and
finally rotating it quarter turn.

Sometimes I added flour to
the board to prevent sticking.
As I kneaded and rotated the
dough, I felt it getting smoother
and finally forming some bubbles
under the surface. About 5-6 minutes.

Lightly greasing the bowl, I placed
the dough inside and covered it with
a clean towel. After a couple hours,
I checked to see if it had doubled.
I punched it down again, divided into
two and put each half in bread pans.

Covered once more with a towel,
I allowed the dough to rise and
after it had doubled again, I heated
the oven to baking temperature. I
brushed the top of each loaf with egg whites
and put into the warmed oven.

The smell of fresh bread baking reminded
my Dad of the Polish bakery in Massachusetts.
I discovered so much satisfaction from learning
to bake bread from scratch. When it
was still warm, a slice with butter which
melted had a taste like no other!