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1. Sprinkle the yeast into a half cup of the lukewarm (110° to 115°) milk. Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Place the mixture in a warm, draft-free place-such as an unlighted oven-for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the yeast has begun to bubble and almost doubled in volume.
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2. Then pour it into a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ˝ cup of milk and stir until the yeast is dissolved. With a large spoon, slowly beat into the mixture 1 cup of the flour and continue to beat vigorously until smooth. Still beating, add the butter, remaining sugar, salt and 1˝ more cups of flour.
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3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it by folding it end to end, then pressing it down, pushing it forward and folding it back for at least 10 minutes, sprinkling the dough every few minutes with small amounts of as much of the remaining flour as you need to prevent the dough from sticking to the board. When the dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a large, lightly buttered bowl.
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4. Dust it with a sprinkling of flour and cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough doubles its bulk and springs back slowly when gently poked with a finger. Then punch the dough down again with one blow of your fist to reduce it to its original volume. Let it rise 30 to 40 minutes until it again doubles in bulk.
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5. Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly but thoroughly butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inchloaf pan. Shape the dough into a compact loaf, somewhat high and round in the center, and place it in the pan. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise in the same warm place (about 25 minutes) until it reaches the top of the pan. Thoroughly brush the top of the loaf with the egg and milk glaze.
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6. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in its center comes out clean and dry. Invert the bread on to a cake rack and cool before slicing.
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