Dissolve yeast in the warm water in large mixing bowl. Blend in the ginger and 1 Tbsp of the honey. Let stand in a warm place until the mixture is bubbly (about 15 minutes). Stir in the remaining honey, and the milk, salt, and oil. With mixer on low speed (or with a wooden spoon) beat in the flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. If you are using amixer, beat in the last cup of flour with a wooden spoon. The dough should be heavy but too sticky to knead.

Place dough in a 2-pound, WELL-GREASED coffee can. Cover with greased plastic lid. At this point, you may freeze the dough if you want to and bake it at a later time.

To bake, let stand, covered in a warm place until the dough rises and pops off the lid. This will take 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Discard the lid and bake at 350 F for 1 hour. The crust will be very brown. Brush the top lightly with butter.

Let the entire bread and can cool for 5 to 10 minutes on a wire rack, then loosen the crust around the edge of the can with a thin knife and slide the bread from the can. Cool it in an upright position on the wire rack.