Makes two loaves

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups warm water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 9 cups white flour

Method

Mix water, butter, sugar and salt. Sprinkle yeast on top and let rest for 10 minutes. Whip in 7 cups of flour, then beat in the rest with a spoon. Do not knead. Let rise until double. Punch down and separate into two balls. Flatten each ball into a rectangular shape, then roll into a long loaf. Let rise on an oiled cookie sheet until almost double.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put a pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf of the oven (you can omit this step for a softer crust). After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350%degF for about 30 minutes. Five minutes before bread is done, brush loaves with melted butter.