Universal bread recipe

[Delmonico]

Part of what I want to do with the book I'm working one is not only to have a reference on food and equipment available for 19th Century cooks, but to have basic recipes that can be changed to suit the cook or supplies.  These will be easy to put to memory and the idea also is to be able to make them with out measuring devices or at least nothing beyond a basic one or two.  

As one can see, with this bread recipe you start with right around 2 1/2 cups of water, a 24 oz tin cup will work great.  After that nothing is that critical.  

Basic Bread Recipe for 12 inch deep/14 inch shallow dutch oven/15 inch skillet/2 loaf pans

Use half this recipe for a 10 inch shallow dutch oven/skillet

Use 3/4th for a 12 inch shallow dutch oven/skillet

Use just the yeast, water, flour and salt if desired to make a crusty type French bread or use the milk, sugar and eggs to make a sweet roll type dough.

Basic Yeast Bread.

2 ½ cups warm water/ scalded milk (use milk for sweet roll dough)
2-6 teaspoons yeast or 1-3 packages yeast (1 package of yeast is 2 ¼ teaspoon)
 0-3 tablespoons sugar, honey or molasses (or up to ¾ cup for sweet roll dough)
1 teaspoons salt (optional)
0-3 tablespoons lard
7-9 cups flour (the flour can be white flour or whole wheat/rye or a mix of types)
1-2 beaten eggs (optional use for sweet roll dough)

Mix the yeast into the liquid along with the sugar and salt as well as ½ cup of flour.  Cover and allow to get bubbly.  Mix in enough of the flour to make a stiff dough and knead well, developing the gluten till the dough is smooth.  The amount of flour needed will vary with the humidity.  
If there is time one can mix in enough of the flour to make a soft dough and allow to rise with out kneading before adding the rest of the flour and kneading.   This will make a little better final product, but is not really needed if time does not allow.

When the well kneaded dough has doubled in size is needs punched down and formed into loaves or rolls.  Following this recipe will make 2 loaves in bread pans, 1 large loaf in a 12 inch deep dutch oven or dinner rolls in a 14 inch shallow dutch oven or 15 inch skillet.  

Let rise till doubled and   bake 25 -45 minutes in a moderate to hot oven (375-425F).  The bread will pull away from the edge of the pan and have a hollow sound when thumped.