Mom's White Bread (with breadsticks variation)

This is the recipe Mom used for making her bread to take to market. King Arthur Flour has a recipe that is almost the same, except it uses a little less flour and is written for 1 loaf, not 2. They also include a Tip for using the Tangzhong method when making the bread:

Want to make this bread softer, moister, and extend its shelf life? Try the tangzhong technique, a Japanese method for increasing the softness and shelf life of yeast bread. Begin by measuring out the flour and milk you’ll be using in the recipe, increasing the amount of milk to 1 cup + 3 tablespoons. Now take 3 tablespoons of the measured flour and 1/2 cup of the milk; put them in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it forms a thick slurry; this will take about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, then combine it with the remaining flour and the other dough ingredients. Proceed with the recipe as directed. Well-wrapped and stored at room temperature, your bread should stay soft and fresh for several days.

1 yeast cake
2 1/8 cup warm water (may substitute 1 cup scalded milk for 1 cup of the water)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
4 Tbsp. shortening, melted
7 - 8 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt and shortening. Beat in the flour, one cup at a time, until the dough is too thick to mix. Turn out on floured board and knead the dough well for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic, not sticky, and the gluten is well developed. When you push down, the dough should feel firm and push back.

Put dough in buttered bowl and turn so that the topside of the dough is buttered. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about an hour. To test, dent the dough lightly with your finger; if dent remains, the dough is ready. If it springs back, continue to rise. Butter two bread pans.

Punch down dough. Turn out on floured board and knead dough for about 3 minutes. Roll dough into a large rectangle and roll it up to form a bread loaf. Pinch seams and tuck under ends and place in the prepared bread pans. Shaping the loaf in this way creates surface tension so that the gas from the yeast the dough expands up and out evenly. Cover and let rise until double in size or for about 30 minutes. Alternatively you can shape the dough into breadsticks.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Once the loaves have doubled in bulk (a corner of the loaf will not spring back when lightly pressed), make two or three slashes diagonally with a sharp knife across the top of the loaf to prevent the crust from cracking. Brush with butter and sprinkle with cornmeal and salt, if desired. Bake bread for about 45 - 60 minutes or until the bread is a lovely brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom of the loaf. Remove bread from pan and let cool on wire racks. Breadsticks will only take about 20 minutes; bake until golden brown and crispy.

Rub 1/2 tsp. soft butter (if desired) over the top of each loaf while still warm - creates a soft crust.

Makes 2 loaves or 48 bread sticks, or 1 loaf and 24 breadsticks

Note: Milk adds richness, makes a bread with a finer crumb and softer crust, and can help retard staling.

To make breadsticks:

Roll out dough about 1/8-inch thick and cut into strips. Place on greased baking sheets and brush with 2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Or sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Let rise.

Stuffed Breadsticks, an idea from the Food Network:

Go Rustic Italian and stretch ropes of dough into breadsticks, then press savory toppings in deep along the length of each. Try olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic or marinated artichokes. A final brush of oil and scattering of sea salt and you're done. Just bake until crisp and golden.