2 cups warm tap water -- about 110 degrees

2 1/2 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

5 1/2 cups unbleached -- all purpose flour

-- , (up to 5) 1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter -- melted, or

-- vegetable oil

Oil 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. Whisk yeast into warm water and set aside while preparing other ingredients.

To mix dough by hand, place 5 cups flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir in yeast mixture and melted butter. Continue to stir until mixture forms a rough dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. If dough is excessively soft and sticky, add remaining flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

To mix dough in a heavy duty mixer, place flour, salt and sugar in a mixer bowl, add yeast mixture and melted butter and mix on low speed with dough hook for about 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. If dough is excessively soft and sticky, add remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.

To mix dough in food processor, place flour, salt and sugar in bowl fitted with a metal blade. Pulse several times to mix. Add yeast mixture and butter and pulse 8 to 10 times until dough forms a ball. If dough is excessively soft and sticky, add remaining flour 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse, until dough forms a coherent ball. Let dough rest for 5 minutes, then run the machine continuously for 30 seconds.

Place dough in oiled bowl and turn to oil all surfaces. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (you may need the help of a scraper). Deflate dough and divide into two equal pieces. To form loaf, make sure the surface is free of excess flour, then stretch dough into rectangle. Fold in short ends of dough until it is approximately the length of the pan, then fold the far long edge over to the middle. Fold over the other long side and compress to form a tight cylinder. Place the loaf in the pan, seam side down. Cover the pan with plastic wrap. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Allow to rise until doubled. When loaves are almost doubled, preheat oven to 400 degrees and set rack at middle level. When loaves are completely risen, place in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and firm and the internal temperature is about 210 degrees. Unmold loaves to a rack to cool on their sides.