Grandma Nancy's Bread

My wife Katie's mother makes the most amazing bread.  It's soft and delicious.  She gave me the secret recipe, so I'm passing it on to you.  I use a bread machine for mixing the dough, but bake it in a 4-loaf, stoneware pan from Pampered Chef.  Any bread-baking pan will do, though.  I make 4 small loaves, pre-slice them and then freeze two. 

As good things take time, this bread takes about 5 hours from start to finish.  Enjoy!

1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups bread flour (All-purpose flour works also, but it won't give you the best density)
1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp or 1 packet yeast
butter

1. Pour the first 3 ingredients into a bread machine.  Add in the sugar and flours.  Add the salt in the corner of the pan.  Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast.
2. Set machine to dough setting and start.
3. After machine completes, leave 1-1/2 to 2 hours for dough to rise.  I leave it until the dough pushes the lid up.
4. Preheat oven to 170 deg Fahrenheit.  Transfer dough to greased loaf pans.  Turn off oven and place pans, uncovered, in the oven.  Allow to rise another 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until dough takes the shape of bread.
5. Leave dough in oven, and turn on at 350 deg.  Bake 15 minutes or until the dough becomes hollow.  To determine, flick a finger at the top of the dough.  Listen for a hollow sound.
6. Remove from oven.  Butter the top of the crusts immediately, and place on wire rack to cool.

VARIATIONS

• Rather than loaves, this dough can be formed into scrumptious dinner rolls as well.  Just form the dough into little balls and line up in a buttered baking dish.
• Cinnamon Rolls: Add cinnamon to the dough in the first step.  Follow step 2.  At step 4, roll out dough, add more cinnamon, sugar, and butter, then roll, slice, and bake.
• Can add nuts or dried fruits to the dough before step 4.  We especially like dried cranberries; makes amazing turkey sandwiches.