Pueblo Oven Bread

Info
A River of Recipes: Native American Recipes Using Commodity Foods by the USDA Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, public domain government resource—original source of recipe
 * Serves: 12

Ingredients

 * 1 package dry yeast
 * ½ tablespoon shortening
 * ¼ cup honey or sugar
 * ½ teaspoon salt
 * 1 cup hot water
 * 5 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

 * 1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
 * 2) Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Mix well and set aside.
 * 3) Combine shortening, honey, and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 cup hot water and stir well. When mixture cools to room temperature, mix well with yeast mixture.
 * 4) Add 4 cups of flour, stirring well after each cup.
 * 5) Spread 1 cup of flour on cutting board and place dough upon it. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic (about 15 minutes). Put dough in large bowl, cover with cloth and put in warm place until dough doubles in bulk.
 * 6) Turn dough onto floured surface again and knead well. Divide dough into two equal parts. Shape each into loaves or rounds.
 * 7) Place the loaves on a well-greased cookie sheet, cover with cloth and allow to double in a warm place.
 * 8) Put into preheated oven and bake until lightly browned (about 1 hour). Use oven’s middle rack and place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven.