How fo Make. — The following ingredients are
required to make four full-sized “ half-quartern ”
loaves ; they should, of course, be increased propor¬
tionately for larger quantities; — 6 lbs. of flour; ij ozs.
of German yeast; i teaspoonful of castor sugar; a
little salt; about 3 pints of tepid water✪ Home-Made Bread.
Mix the flour and salt well together in a deep pan,
and then make a well in the centre of the mixture.
Put the German yeast and the sugar into a basin
and cream them together until they form a liquid.
(The sugar is used really as a test for the yeast. If
these two ingredients do not form a liquid almost
directly, by creaming them with a spoon, it is a sure
sign that the yeast is not good for bread-making, and
the whole batch of bread would be spoiled.)
GAS COOKERY BOOK.
203
Add the tepid water to the creamed yeast, bearing
in mind that if the water be too hot it will kill the
yeast, while if it be too cold, the yeast will not start
working. One pint of boiling to two pints of cold
water (mixed together before being poured on to the
yeast) would give just the right temperature. Then
pour the liquid gradually into the flour, working the
flour well into it. Cover the top of the pan with a
tray or board, with a cloth over that, and leave it in a
warm place for the dough to rise for two to three
hours.
When the dough has well risen knead it thoroughly
with the hands and turn it on to a floured board. Divide
the dough into four portions; knead well for a few
minutes, making each piece into a smooth ball; then
place in a slightly floured bread tin, and press it well
down, having the half-quartern tin about half full.
For a Cottage Loaf, divide some dough into two
portions, one larger than the other; make each into a
smooth round ball without cracks; place the smaller
on the top of the larger one, and press the forefinger
right through the centre of the loaf.
Put the cottage loaves on to a baking sheet, and
these, as well as the tin loaves, must, to “ prove ”
before baking, all stand in a warm place — the top of
the stove will do.
“Proving” means letting the dough rise again
after kneading it into shape. The dough should rise
above the top of the tins and the cottage loaves be
half as large again. They are then ready to bake.
The Baking. — Half-quartern loaves take about 40
minutes, and a “ twopenny ” loaf 20 minutes to bake.
The method of baking them in a gas oven is as
follows : — Turn the gas full on for a quarter of an
hour before the dough is put in, to get the oven
thoroughly hot, previously spacing out the shelves
and having the browning shelf at the top. Place the
loaves as much as possible in the centre of the shelves.
204
THE HOUSEHOLD
Turn the gas flame down to half atn inch when the
dough is put in, and then gradually reduce the gas
every ten minutes for the half-quartern loaves, and
every five minutes for the “ twopenny ” size. In each
case the gas may be turned out a good five minutes
before the bread is finished, as the oven will remain
sufficiently hot to complete the baking.
If it is desired to make double the above quantity,
it is rather a good plan to set the dough over-night.
The pan should be left in a warm kitchen covered up,
and directly after breakfast the dough should be
kneaded into loaves, proved, and, if satisfactory,
baked.
Page 111 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1900. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
How to Make. — The following ingredients are required to make four full-sized "half-quartern" loaves ; they should, of course, be increased proportionately for larger quantities; — 6 lbs. of flour; 1½ ozs. of German yeast; i teaspoonful of castor sugar; a little salt; about 3 pints of tepid water.
Mix the flour and salt well together in a deep pan, and then make a well in the centre of the mixture.
Put the German yeast and the sugar into a basin and cream them together until they form a liquid. (The sugar is used really as a test for the yeast. If these two ingredients do not form a liquid almost directly, by creaming them with a spoon, it is a sure sign that the yeast is not good for bread-making, and the whole batch of bread would be spoiled.)
Add the tepid water to the creamed yeast, bearing in mind that if the water be too hot it will kill the yeast, while if it be too cold, the yeast will not start working. One pint of boiling to two pints of cold water (mixed together before being poured on to the yeast) would give just the right temperature. Then pour the liquid gradually into the flour, working the flour well into it. Cover the top of the pan with a tray or board, with a cloth over that, and leave it in a warm place for the dough to rise for two to three hours.
When the dough has well risen knead it thoroughly with the hands and turn it on to a floured board. Divide the dough into four portions; knead well for a few minutes, making each piece into a smooth ball; then place in a slightly floured bread tin, and press it well down, having the half-quartern tin about half full.
For a Cottage Loaf, divide some dough into two portions, one larger than the other; make each into a smooth round ball without cracks; place the smaller on the top of the larger one, and press the forefinger right through the centre of the loaf.
Put the cottage loaves on to a baking sheet, and these, as well as the tin loaves, must, to “ prove ” before baking, all stand in a warm place — the top of the stove will do.
“Proving” means letting the dough rise again after kneading it into shape. The dough should rise above the top of the tins and the cottage loaves be half as large again. They are then ready to bake.
The Baking. — Half-quartern loaves take about 40 minutes, and a “ twopenny ” loaf 20 minutes to bake. The method of baking them in a gas oven is as follows : — Turn the gas full on for a quarter of an hour before the dough is put in, to get the oven thoroughly hot, previously spacing out the shelves and having the browning shelf at the top. Place the loaves as much as possible in the centre of the shelves.
Turn the gas flame down to half an inch when the dough is put in, and then gradually reduce the gas every ten minutes for the half-quartern loaves, and every five minutes for the “ twopenny ” size. In each case the gas may be turned out a good five minutes before the bread is finished, as the oven will remain sufficiently hot to complete the baking.
If it is desired to make double the above quantity, it is rather a good plan to set the dough over-night. The pan should be left in a warm kitchen covered up, and directly after breakfast the dough should be kneaded into loaves, proved, and, if satisfactory, baked.
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Home-Made Bread