Basic Bread Recipe

I've made this several times since I last posted it. (I had just switched bread recipes.) I've simplified and adjusted it a little.

1 1/2 cups very hot water
1 cup cold almond milk (can use organic whole cow's milk)
3 eggs (optional)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1 T sea salt
6 - 7 1/4 cups freshly-milled flour
4 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

Combine water, milk, eggs, oil, honey, and salt. (Temperature should be just right for yeast.) Mix in yeast. Add flour to make a soft dough. Knead by hand or with mixer's dough hook until smooth and elastic (about 8 - 10 minutes). Shape into loaves and let rise until double. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped on top with fingernail. Makes 2 - 3 loaves.

This bread recipe is a little "stickier" than most, and I think it might be because of the eggs but I'm no expert. I like it better though because it stays moist for several days, whereas the recipes I used before dried out so quickly. My KitchenAid mixer has a dough hook, so I don't have to knead it by hand which might be difficult since it's sticky.