Recipes

Basic Sweet Dough

Recipe No. 22 from the U.S. Army's WWII cookbook — Breads. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Army TM10-412 · Breads

Serves 100 servings

Recipe No. 22 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Breads. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

  • Sugar, granulated — 4 pounds (2 No. 56 dippers)
  • Shortening — 4 pounds (2 No. 56 dippers)
  • Salt — 5 ounces (10 mess kit spoons)
  • Eggs, beaten — 30 eggs (1½ No. 56 dippers)
  • Milk, evaporated — 2 — 14½-ounce cans
  • Water (for milk) — 3 quarts (3 No. 56 dippers)
  • Yeast — 1½ pounds
  • Vanilla — as needed
  • Flour, sifted — 16 pounds (16 No. 56 dippers)

Directions

Key ingredients

Evaporated Milk

  1. Combine sugar, shortening, and salt; mix thoroughly.
  2. Add eggs; beat well.
  3. Mix milk and water. Scald; cool to 80° F. Add yeast and vanilla; stir until well mixed. Add to egg mixture.
  4. Add flour; mix thoroughly.
  5. Place dough in a warm place (80° F.); allow to rise 2 hours or until double in volume. Punch down; allow to rise 15 minutes more.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Sugar, granulated — 5 oz Shortening — 5 oz Salt — ⅓ oz Eggs, beaten — 2⅓ eggs Milk, evaporated — ½ can (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 15⅓ tbsp Yeast — 2 oz Vanilla — to taste Flour, sifted — 1 lb 4½ oz

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 22, Breads. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.