Duck Egg Bread

Directions: 1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour and the yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat the milk, sugar, butter and salt just till warm (120F to 130F), stirring constantly. Pour the milk mixture into the flour/yeast mixture. Add the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds; scrape the sides of the bowl often. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. With a wooden spoon, work in as much of the remaining flour as you can. 2. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. (The trick here is to not add too much flour, I found a slightly wetter dough aides in achieving a lighter, airier final product). Shape the dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free location till double in size (about 1 hour). 3. Punch down dough, turn onto a floured surface. This is where I divided the dough in half; I turned one half into a loaf and the other half I divided into 12 equal portions to turn into hot dog buns. *For the loaf, gently roll out or just pull and stretch the dough into a rough rectangle about 9”x 16”. Beginning on a short end, roll up the dough, pinching seam to seal and pulling ends under. Place in a greased loaf pan, cover and let rise in a warm, draft free location until about double in size (about 1 hour) *For the hot dog buns, gently stretch each dough ball out into rough rectangles about 5-6 inches long and (honestly?) as wide as you can get it, likely only a couple inches. Starting on a long side, roll up, pinching the seam to seal. Gently pull the end under. Place seam side down on a greased cooking sheet. At this point, your dough is going to look more like the dog than the bun. Repeat with remaining dough. Place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Prepare 2 baking sheets as one won’t hold them all. Cover and let rise until double in size (about 1 hour) 4. Bake in a 350F degrees oven. For the loaf – 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. For the buns – 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.