Mom'S Yeast Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons instant yeast
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups skim milk, lukewarm
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons Crisco, melted (or oil)
1 tablespoon salt
7 -8 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
1 -2 tablespoon butter, for top of bread

Preparation

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in large bowl. This usually takes about 5 minutes. If you don't see any bubbles/foaming, your yeast is dead, start over.
Add the milk, Crisco, salt, wheat germ, vital wheat gluten, and about 4 cups flour. I usually heat the milk and Crisco in the microwave so the Crisco melts, and the milk gets warm all in one step.
Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough forms a ball, and starts leaving the sides of the bowl.
Knead the bread, adding flour as needed until the dough is smooth and elastic. I usually knead about 3-5 minutes.
Let bread rise in a covered bowl in a warm place until double in size (about 30-60 minutes).
Punch down and form into loaves or rolls and place in a greased and floured pan.
Let rise about 30 minutes more. Bake at 425 degrees 25-30 minutes, or till the bottom of the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
Remove from pans and place on racks to cool.
Butter tops while still warm, if desired. Cool completely before wrapping.