Medianoche Bread

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees f)
• 1/2 cup lard, melted (you can substitute crisco)
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 cups bread flour (more or less)
• egg wash
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons warm water

Recipe

• 1 in a large bowl, mix yeast and three tablespoons sugar in one cup warm water. place in a warm place and wait for the yeast to begin bubbling. (if it doesn't bubble and foam, you have some bad yeast or something else went wrong and you'll need to start over.)
• 2 beat the eggs until foamy. mix the eggs with the rest of the water and the melted lard.
• 3 put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. turn on and add the liquids all at once. process until it forms a ball (you may need to add a little more water.) knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough gets stiff and pliable.
• 4 grease a large bowl and place the dough in it, then turn the dough so that the greased side is up. cover with a slightly damp, clean towel. let rise in a warm place for about one hour or until the dough ball doubles in volume.
• 5 place the dough on your work surface and punch it down. divide the dough into good-sized handfuls. roll each handful on a lightly floured surface to make cylinders about five inches long and about 2 1/4 inches in diameter. arrange rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet. cover with a slightly damp, clean towel. let rise in a warm place for about one hour or until the rolls double in volume.
• 6 preheat oven to 350º f.
• 7 brush the tops of the rolls liberally with the egg glaze. bake until golden brown -- about 25 to 35 minutes. remove the rolls from the oven, take them off the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack. while they are still warm, brush the tops with a little melted butter. use for medianoche sandwiches, or serve warm as a side dish.