Brioche

1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1 package dry yeast
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour, divided
Melted butter

Place milk and yeast in mixing bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.

Stir well. Add butter, eggs, sugar, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Beat well. Add remaining flour to make a soft dough. Beat until smooth. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch down. Let rise again. Punch down. Knead lightly to form smooth ball. (If dough is a little hard to handle, refrigerate for several hours rather than adding more flour.) Reserve a piece of dough the size of an egg. Place remainder in a large well-greased mold. Make an indentation in the top of dough. Place the egg-size piece in the indentation. Let rise until double in size.

Baste top with melted butter. Sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake about 45 minutes at 375 degrees F or until browned. Re-heats well.

Serves 12.