This is sufficient for one 9×13” coffee cake, one fruit cake baked in an 8” pie pan, and 14 or 16 2-1/2” crescents.
Warm a large mixing bowl. Place ½ c Bread flour in it. Crumble 1 cake of yeast over it.
Make a hollow in the flour and pour in ½ c Lukewarm milk and water.
Add 1-1/2 tsp Sugar.
Stir these ingredients until they are well blended. Cover them and put them in a warm place to rise for 20 minutes.
Beat ½ c Butter until soft.
Add gradually ¼ to ½ c Sugar.
Blend these ingredients until they are creamy. Add:
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Grated lemon rind
1-1/2 Tbls Lemon juice (optional)
2 Beaten eggs
1 tsp Vanilla extract (optional)
½ c Water and milk
Sift 4 c Bread flour. Stir part of it into the butter mixture, then knead in the rest. Add the yeast mixture and knead the dough well. Cover it and permit it to rise in a warm place for 3 or 4 hours (until it has doubled in bulk). Shape the dough as desired. Add to it a filling or cover it with butter, sugar, etc. Permit it to rise for ½ hour. Bake it in a moderate oven (350˚) for about 20 minutes.