Household cookery and laundry work

Study the recipe for Baking Powder and consider its composition. When baking powder is not to be had, a substitute can easily be made by putting in the required quantity of carbonate of soda and some acid to counteract it. Soda alone is never good in a cake where there is butter or dripping, unless some substance containing acid is along with it. Treacle is one of those substances containing acid. The best carbonate of soda is a decided advantage over the common kind. The following tests for trying the temperature of the oven may be found useful: — 1. If a sheet of paper burns when thrown in, the oven is too hot. 2. When the paper becomes dark brown, it is suitable for pastry. 3. When light brown, it does for pies. 4. When dark yellow, for cakes. 5. When light yellow, for puddings, biscuits, and small pastry. Cakes should be baked until they are dry in the middle, which may be ascertained by thrusting a skewer or rough piece of wood into the middle ; if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. A cake is often better to remain in the oven for a short time to dry even after it is ready, if the oven be cool. BAKING POWDER. 2 oz. and 1 teaspoonful of 2 oz. of Tartaric Acid. Carbonate of Soda. 2 oz. of Rice Flour. Put all the ingredients in a basin and mix them well; then rub the mixture through a sieve or cullender several times to take out the lumps. Put it into a bottle or jelly-can, and keep for use. BREAD. 3 lbs. Flour. 1 teaspoonful of Salt. 1 oz. German Yeast. 1 teaspoonful of Sugar. Lukewarm Water. Put into a large basin 2| lbs. of Hour, and sprinkle in round the edges a teaspoonful of salt; gather the flour up to the sides of the basin, leaving a hollow in the middle. Put into a smaller basin an ounce of German yeast and a teaspoonful of soft sugar; mix it to a smooth paste with a little lukewarm water as starch is mixed ; when quite smooth pour in 2£ breakfast-cupfuls of lukewarm water, and mix thoroughly ; now pour all this liquid into the basin of flour, and with a spoon mix it thoroughly. All the flour should be wet, but not in the least sloppy, and it should be the thickness of a good paste. It may be necessary to add a little more water ; if so, add it carefully. When the whole is mixed well, knead it a little with the hand, and sprinkle a little flour on the top. Cover the basin with a plate, and put it where it will keep at the same heat, to “ rise ” for an hour. Then add a little flour to the dough in the basin to help to gather it from the sides, and, still adding a very little flour, punch and knead it well. When the paste is well gathered into a mass, and not sticking to the basin, turn it out on a table and knead it for 10 minutes, always adding a little flour — at least half a pound of flour will be added during this kneading process. Divide this paste into 4 loaves, which either make up shaped like cottage loaves and put them on a floured oven plate, or make like pan loaves and put them in shapes floured inside. Set the loaves in a warm place to rise for 10 minutes or a quarter of an hour. Then put them into a rather quick oven to bake for about half an hour.