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1 envelope active dry yeast
Sprinkle yeast over lukewarm water and add 1 teaspoon sugar. Leave for 10 minutes until yeast is foamy.
In a mixing bowl, combine remaining sugar, salt, 5 tablespoons margarine, and boiling water. Stir until sugar and margarine is completely dissolved. Stir in yeast mixture. Add flour and mix with a wooden spoon until dough becomes difficult to stir. Knead in remaining flour.
Knead dough vigorously on a lightly floured work surface, adding flour by tablespoons if necessary, until dough is very smooth but still soft, about 10 minutes. Put dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until nearly doubled in volume.
Punch down dough, knead it briefly in bowl, cover, and let rise again in a warm place for about 1 hour; or refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
Generously rub a deep 2-quart baking dish with margarine or butter.
Divide dough into 8 pieces. With a lightly oiled rolling pin, roll out one piece on a lightly oiled surface to a rectangle about 1/8" thick. Spread with about 2 teaspoons of butter or margarine. Roll up like a
jellyroll. Flatten resulting roll by tapping it with your knuckles and spread it with about 1 teaspoon butter, then roll up a spiral and place it in baking dish so that spiral design faces up.
Continue with remaining pieces of dough, placing them one next to the other and touching each other in dish. If any margarine or butter remains, put it in small pieces on top. Cover with greased paper or foil placed on surface of dough and with a tight lid.
Preheat oven to 225°F.
Bake 3 hours or until golden brown. Turn out onto a plate, then reverse onto another plate and put back into baking dish, so it is now upside down. Cover and bake another hour; or reduce oven temperature to 200°F and bake overnight.
(Bread can be baked ahead and reheated in its covered baking dish for about 45 minutes in a 225°F oven.) Serve warm.
Posted by Nancy Berry
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A
1/3 cup lukewarm water
6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 l/2 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons margarine or butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup boiling water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup very soft margarine or butter (1 stick) for spreading on dough