Bake bread.

Bake bread.

My favorite food hands-down is bread. There is no better treat than warm, fresh-baked bread. This is why I have no regard for the Atkins diet. Though I would have to assume it works-- why eat at all if you can't eat bread?

My favorite university lecture ever was completely devoted to the merits of bread and its essential place in our lives. Oddly enough it was a religion class, backed up by scripture references and found later on the final exam. Strange? Undoubtebly. Still--and maybe it was because she brought fresh-baked bread and homemade jam when I had been eating vending machine food all semester-- that was my all-time favorite day of any college class.

I have been wanting to find a good bread recipe and this one for Potato Crescent Rolls is on my list to try. Feel free to share you favs as well. Yum!

INGREDIENTS:
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
DIRECTIONS:
Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool, and mash.
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
When yeast is ready, mix in 1 cup mashed potatoes, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt, and 3 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough has become stiff but still pliable. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, and up to 5 days.
Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and form into rounds. Roll out each round to a 12 inch circle. Brush generously with melted butter, and cut each circle into 16 wedges. Roll wedges up tightly, starting with the large end. Place on lightly greased baking sheets with the points underneath, and the ends bent to form a crescent shape. Cover, and let rise for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.