Blushing Bread

Total Time: 3 hrs 50 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 envelopes active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp. total)
• 1 1/2 cups tomato juice (such as sacramento tomato plus)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups unsifted all-purpose flour, more as needed
• 2 -4 tablespoons butter or 2 -4 tablespoons margarine, melted

Recipe

• 1 combine wayer, yeast,just 1 tsp sugar, and the ginger; let stand about 10 minutes until foamy.
• 2 in a large bowl, combine tomato juice, 1/4 cup sugar,salt, and 2 cups of the flour.
• 3 add the yeast mxiture and beat well.
• 4 add another 3 cups of the flour, stirring to blend well.
• 5 stir in as much remaining flour as you can (you may need more or les depending upon the day's humidity).
• 6 turn dough onto a well floured board and knead with floured hands until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• 7 grease a large bowl and place dough inside, flipping dough over once to grease the top; cover and let rise until doubled in bulk in a warm place, about 40 minutes or so (again, this will vary based on the temperature and humidity of the day).
• 8 punch risen dough down, then form into two round balls.
• 9 place on greased baking sheets or into 9" round cake tins and make two diagonal slashes in the top of each with a sharp knife.
• 10 brush with melted butter, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let rise again until doubled (about as long as before).
• 11 preheat oven to 350 f and bake both loaves together for 40-50 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow in the bottom when tapped.
• 12 let cool on wire racks before slicing.