[Lostgaeriel]

Goldberry’s White Loaves

Makes 4 loaves. Serve warm with butter and honey (or Laura Grubb’s Raspberry Jam).

• 2 cups milk
• 4 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• ¼ cup soft shortening
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 2 pkgs. fast-rising dry yeast
• 10 cups all-purpose flour

1. Scald milk. Stir in salt, sugar, shortening and cool with cold water to lukewarm.
2. Measure lukewarm water into a large warm bowl. Add sugar and yeast. Let stand 10 minutes, then stir until well blended.
3. Add milk mixture and 5 cups flour to yeast mixture and stir. Beat until smooth and elastic.
4. Work in sufficient additional flour to make a soft dough, about 5 cups more. As the dough thickens, mix it in the bowl with one hand, using a swinging rotary motion. If dough remains sticky after 5 minutes mixing, add a little more flour.
5. Turn dough out on a greased board or tabletop and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
6. Put dough in a lightly greased, warm bowl. Grease top. Cover with greased waxed paper and a clean cloth. Let rise in a warm place (75-85°F), free from draft, until double in bulk, about 1 ½-2 hours.
7. Punch down dough. Turn out on a greased board or tabletop. Cut into 4 equal pieces with a greased sharp knife. Form each piece into a ball, turning cut surfaces under. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.
8. Grease 4 loaf pans (8”x5” top inside measure). Shape balls of dough into loaves; place in pans. Grease tops. Cover. Let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until dough fills pans and centres are well above tops of pans, about 1-½ hours.
9. About ½ hour before rising is finished, preheat oven to 425°F. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until bread is done, about 35 minutes longer.
10. Remove bread from pans onto wire racks. Brush with melted butter if a soft crust is desired. Cool uncovered.

If Goldberry does all this every day, Tom had better bring her water-lilies!

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Bilbo’s Fruit Scones

• 12 oz. or 2 ¼ cups flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 4 oz. or ½ cup butter
• 4 oz. or ¾ cup currants or sultanas
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• ½ cup + ~1 tbsp. milk (enough to mix dough)
• egg to glaze top

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sift dry ingredients together. Rub in butter with fingers or cut in butter with pastry blender. Add fruit and sugar. Add enough milk to make a soft dough. Place dough on lightly floured board. Roll dough out to ¾-inch to 1-inch thickness. Cut scones with round cutter (or drinking glass or mug) and place on greased baking sheet, well spaced. Brush top of scones with some beaten egg. Bake in hot (400°F) oven on middle or bottom rack for approximately 15 minutes. Makes about 8 scones if cut 2 ½” in diameter. Serve with Shire Clotted Cream (still looking for an 'easy' recipe for that) and Laura Grubb’s Raspberry Jam.

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Laura Grubb’s Raspberry Jam

• 4 cups (1 quart) raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Vinegar

Mix together in a pot. Boil gently about 15 minutes. Pour into jars. Seal.