Buttermilk Bread

Combine warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a medium saucepan, combine buttermilk, butter and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Warm over medium-low heat until warm, around 110 degrees. Butter doesn’t have to melt completely.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 1/2 cups flour and salt. Stir in the buttermilk mixture and yeast, mixing until blended. Turn dough onto a floured surface, working in the 1/4 cup flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Grease a large bowl with cooking spray, place the ball of dough in the bowl and turn to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. A great place for doing this is your oven—just warm it to 200 degrees and then turn off the heat and place the bowl of dough on a rack set in the lowest position.

Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough in half and let rest for 15 minutes. Prepare two metal loaf pans by greasing or spraying them with cooking spray. Using your hands, flatten the dough halves into rectangles and then roll into loaves that will fit in your loaf pans. Cover the loaves and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until loaves are golden and sound hollow when lightly tapped. Cool on racks.