Mike's Favorite Bread

INGREDIENTS
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour (or more)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast (one package)
1 cup very warm water (120-103 degrees F)
2 TBSP oil
1 large egg
Butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in mixing bowl. Add warm water and oil. Add egg and beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
2. Knead for ten minutes, or have electric mixer do it until dough is smooth and springy. Place dough in large greased bowl. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
3. Grease bottom and sides of loaf pan. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Shape into loaf and place in greased loaf pan. Cover loosely and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until almost double.
4. Move oven rack to low position so that top of pan will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 375 and bake 30-35 minutes, or until loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan to wire rack. Brush loaf with butter; cool.

VARIATIONS:

This is the basic recipe. I seldom make it that way, though, because we love to try new things. So here are a few we try. Let me know if you try somethings else that's really good.

Token Wheat Flour: Exchange one cup flour for wheat flour.

Honey Wheat Flour: Use half wheat, half white flour, and use honey instead of sugar.

Oat: Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups quick oats and slightly less flour.

Rye: Use half white flour, half rye flour.

Buttermilk: Use buttermilk instead of water. You can also exchange the water for milk in any of the other variations. Just scald it and let it cool until it is 120-130 degrees.

TIPS:

If I'm in a hurry, I let the dough rise in a warm oven. Also, my oven always makes the crust on the top of my loaf too crunchy, so I put a piece of aluminum foil on the top with the SHINY SIDE OUT and the DULL SIDE TOWARD THE BREAD. I take it off with about 15 minutes left to bake, and that way the crust doesn't start to brown until the end.