This recipe is from Aunt Rita in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. We remembered the sweet smell of this bread baking and the wonderful taste and texture when we ate it. We called her and asked her for the recipe. She was able to recite the recipe immediately from memory. This bread has become our standard house bread.

We have found that an electric carving knife makes a wonderful bread slicer. With the electric carving knife, you can cut nice slices off the freshly baked bread even while it is almost too hot to handle.

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 rounded tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 1/4 cups bread flour

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes
• 2 teaspoons dry (bread machine) yeast

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and knead until a uniform dough ball is formed. Cover the bowl with a towel and set in a warm place free from drafts until the dough ball doubles in size.
2. Remove the dough ball from the bowl and kneasd on a floured surface until a uniform non-sticky dough ball is formed. Roll into a loaf shape and place into a bread loaf pan. Cover with a towel and set in a warm, draft-free palce until the bread rises to the desired size - the dough should be rounded with a shoulder showing on the top of the bread pan.
3. Bake in pre-heated oven at 400°F. for 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown. After baking, turn the loaf onto a cooling rack for at least an hour before bagging.

Some interesting variations.....

1. Substituting 1 tablespoon of instant chicken bouillon for the salt will give a mildly fragrant bread ideal for sandwiches.
2. Adding 1 tablespoon of Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce to the basic recipe will give a very aromatic, dark and deeply rich bread ideal as accompanyment for soups and stews.