A text-book of cooking

Stiff Dough. — Approximately four parts of flour to one of moisture are used for stiff doughs. When sufficient flour has been added to stiff dough, it should not cling to the sides of the mixing bowl. This is an indication to the pupil of the proper stiffness of the dough. The test only applies, YEAST; LOAF BREAD 231 however, when there is no coating of flour over the dough. One should remember that the softest dough will not " stick," if covered generously with flour. BREAD 2 cupfuls milk or water 1 tablespoonful fat 2 teaspoonfuls salt £ cake compressed yeast 2 teaspoonfuls sugar J cupful water Bread flour Put the hot liquid, salt, sugar, and fat into a bowl. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved, and the fat melted. Mix the yeast with lukewarm water. When the first mixture is of the same temperature, add the yeast mixture to it. Then add flour enough to make it of the proper consistency, using a knife for mixing. Turn out on a floured board, and knead until soft and elastic. Return the dough to the bowl, moisten, cover, and let rise until doubled in bulk. Then divide it into loaves, or shape into biscuits. Cover and allow the loaves or biscuit to rise in the pan in which they are to be baked until they are doubled in bulk. Bake the biscuits 30 minutes in a hot oven and the bread about 60 minutes in a moderate oven. (See Oven Temperatures, p. 193.) QUESTIONS Why should the flour for bread be warmed before using ? What should be the temperature of all materials mixed with yeast ? Why? What should be the difference in the temperature of the oven for loaf bread and for biscuits ? Explain. Why should bread be stored in a covered tin box ? What is the price and weight of a loaf of baker's bread ? Calculate the cost of a loaf of home-made bread. What is its weight ? What is the difference in cost per pound ? Compare baker's and home-made bread as to flavor, texture, and color. 232 THE COOKING OF FOODS LESSON LXXVIII Bread Flour; Loaf Bread Experiment 78 : Protein in Flour. — Make a stiff dough, using 2 tablespoonfuls of bread flour and about \ tablespoonful of water. Knead well, and allow to stand for 20 minutes. Then tie the dough in cheesecloth, place it in a bowl of water, and knead for a few minutes. Four a little of the water in a test tube ; drain the remainder of the water from the dough. Add more water to the bowl. Again knead the dough under the clean water. Examine the material in the cloth. What is its color ? Feel and pull it. Put a little on a plate to dry, and bake some in the oven. Examine after drying and baking. How has it changed in size by heating ? Test the water in the test tube for starch. Gluten. — The material left in the cloth consists largely of protein. If flour is mixed with water, gluten is formed from the two kinds of protein that are to be found in all wheat flours. Gluten is yellowish gray in color, is ex- tremely elastic and sticky, and, if moistened and heated, expands to many times its original bulk. These qualities of gluten are most desirable for good yeast bread; hence, the more protein that flour contains, the better it is for bread making. As has been stated, some flours contain more protein than others. Bread Flour. — The quantity of protein in flour is not only dependent upon the portion of the wheat kernel used in making the flour (see Difference in Flours, p. 211), but also upon the kind of wheat from which the flour is made. Spring wheat, the seeds of which are sown in the springtime, usually contains more protein than winter wheat, the seeds of which are sown in the fall. The flour made from spring wheat is called hard wheat flour or bread BREAD FLOUR; LOAF BREAD 233 FAT 1.1* ^ WATER 11.4* PROTEIN 10.6* CARBOHYDRATE 76.3* MINERAL MATTER 0.6* >,