Dissolve yeast in large bowl with warm water and a pinch sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Scald milk. Add butter to melt, then add the salt and stir. Let cool to 100 degrees.

In electric mixer, beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar and beat 3 minutes. Blend in milk mixture. Stir into yeast mixture in large bowl.

Stir in 7 cups flour, 1 cup at a time.

Dough should be soft and pull away from sides of bowl. Turn dough onto well floured surface and sprinkle with 1 cup flour. Knead about 10 minutes (adding up to 1 more cup flour).

Grease large bowl. Add dough turning to coat both sides. Cover and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size (about 2 hours).

Punch down dough. Let rest 10 minutes. Now cut dough in half to make two loaves. You can braid one loaf or put in a greased 1 quart casserole dish or cake pan.

Cover and let rise once more (about 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake until loaves are golden brown and hollow sounding about 30 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter when done. Also freezes well.