A manual of home-making

used to make a batter. This is IJ2 cups of flour to 1 cup liquid, The mixture is set aside until the surface is coverefl with l)ul>l)l(*s. Sufficient Hour to make a dough is then addetl. Th sponge method is followed frequently when dry yeast is Yeast plants grow rapidly in a thin batter, and as they are nc in an active state in dry yeast rakes, the batter makes possible" a quick growtli of yea^t. With compre.88ed yeiist the sponge method is unnecessary. Straighl-dough method. For the straight-dough method, sufficient flour to make dough is added as soon as the yeast has been added to the liquid. The dough is removed to a floured board and is kneade until it is smooth and elastic, and until it will not stick to ao^ untlouriKl board. Iviieadiug is for the purpose of thorou YEAST BREAD 499 mixing all the ingredients, developing? the elasticity of the gluten, and incorporating air into the dough. Mixing bread by a nmchinc. If three or more loaves of hreatJ are being made, a bread- mLxer saves time and labor. If '^he correct proportion of flour to liquid is used, and the mixing is continued until the dough smooth and elastic, the same result will be obtained by machine- mixing as with equal care by hand-mixing. Frequently too much flour is used. This causes slow rising, and if the dough is made into loaves before the rising is coniplcte, the resulting bread will be compact and inferior in other respects. FERMENTATION The rising of dough until it goes into the pan is called fer- mentation* The best temjierature for the growth of yeast is 80° to 87'' F. If a strong or good gmcle of bread flour is use<I» the dough should treble its original size in the first rising. If a weak or poor grade of flour is used, the dough will only double its original size. The texture and the flavor of bread is improved by a second rising of the dough. The dough should increase its original size by only one-half during the second rising. SFIAPING DOUGH No flour should be used in molding loaves. The dough is molded by folding the sides under several times. It is ptaeed in a greased tin with the crease on the bottom. The tins should be only half filled with the dough. PROOFING The rising in the pan is called '* proofing." This rising can be more rapid than in fermentation. Com- mercially, loaves are proofed at a temperature about 10° above that of fermentation. fiOO A MAS UAL OF ffOME-MAKISG LoaTes are ready to be baked when they have doubled origiiialsbie. The bakmg tcimperature dependi eomewhat on the amount of and sbortenmg iLsed id the dough. With an increase i^ ' and shortening, there should be a deereaji^ in tcmperatiUM The best temperature for plain bread dough is froui 380* la| 400^ F. Loaveg weighing 13^ pounds should be baked frain SO to 00 minuter at from 380** to 400** F. A unifunn temperature during the entire baking period gives good results, although many authorities beUeve tlie temfiera- ture should l>e inereased after the first 15 nunutes. Dou^ should rise, or f^pring, during the first 5 minutes it is in the i At the end of 15 minutes it should begin to brown, and aa 1 continues the bread should draw away from the sides of the and hvQwn on all sides. If a soft, fihiny crust is desired, the loaves should bo \ 5 minutes Ijcfore baking is completed.