Yiayia's Bread (for dough cycle of bread machine)

Every week my grandmother made several big round loaves of bread. She didn't use a recipe and it took the family years (after her death) to re-create a bread that tasted somewhat like hers. The recipe here isn't exactly Yiayia's bread, but it comes close. And I think she would approve.

Makes one large loaf.

Place in bread machine pan, in the order listed:

1-1/3 cup warm water

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 eggs, slightly beaten

5 cups flour*

Make a well in the top of the flour and add:

1-1/2 t dry yeast

Set the bread machine on the dough cycle (this should take the bread through the first rise).

Remove the ball of dough. On a lightly floured surface, punch it down and turn it over a few times to remove any air bubbles. Shape into a round or oval loaf and place on a greased cookie sheet. Brush the top with a beaten egg and cover loosely with plastic wrap (spray the wrap with oil so that it doesn't stick to the bread). Then cover with a dish towel and let rise until double in size.

With a very sharp knife or a razor blade, make several shallow slashes in the top of the loaf.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and continue baking for 25-30 additional minutes. When done, the bread will be dark golden brown and sound hollow when you rap on the bottom of the loaf.

Place on a wire rack to cool. Don't slice it until it has cooled for at least half an hour (it's even better to wait for an hour).

For a soft crust, rub a pat of butter over the loaf as soon as it has been placed on the cooling rack.

This bread is excellent the first day. The second or third day it makes to-die-for toast.

*Flour labeled as "best for bread" or "for bread machine" gives this bread a nice chewiness. All-purpose flour is just fine, but you may end up with a finer-textured loaf. You can also use three rises instead of just the two in this recipe (one in the bread machine, the second in a bowl, the third after the loaf is formed).