All yeast is originally obtained from wild yeast floating in
the air. If these wild yeasts drop into a sweet, moist food they
will commence to grow and cause the food to ferment. "Salt
rising" bread is raised by wild yeast. The salt is added to
keep the bacteria that drop into the sponge with the yeast from
giving the bread a bad taste.
Liquids Used in Yeast Batters.
Milk, water, milk and water, boiled potatoes and water and
whey are the liquids used in making bread.
If milk is used it must be scalded to kill the milk-souring
bacteria. The growth of these bacteria would hinder the growth
of the yeast. It would also sour the bread.
Kinds of Flour.
Wheat will produce the best loaf of bread for the amount
of money expended and is more generally used for bread making
than any of the other grains.
Bread made from the coarser flours such as graham, whole
wheat, oat meal, etc., contain a smaller per cent of nourishment
than the white flour breads because the bran they contain con-
sists of indigestible cellulose. They are, however, considered
healthful foods for those who live an indoor life, as the cellu-
lose stimulates the action of the intestines.
Points in Bread Making.
1. Bread dough should be a soft dough.
2. If bread is to have only two risings, all of the flour
should be added when the bread is first mixed.
228 FOOD AND COOKERY
3. Use as little flour as possible when kneading bread the
second time. It will look streaked if flour is kneaded into it
after the first rising.
4. Before forming dough into loaves, knead it until all
the gas bubbles are broken down, to make it fine grained, with
no large holes in it.
5. If bread is allowed to rise too long, bacteria will change
the alcohol into acetic acid and the bread will taste sour. Never
let your bread wait for you. Attend to it as soon as it is ready.
If it is impossible to knead it when it has risen enough, stir it
with a knife until all the gas cells are broken down, then let
it rise again.
6. Bread is kneaded
(1) To make it of uniform texture. The gas bubbles
that form first are large and irregular in shape.
Kneading breaks them up into small bubbles of
uniform size. It is also kneaded
(2) To develop the gluten. We find in wheat flour two
substances (gliaden and glutenin) which when
mixed with water and well kneaded unite and
form gluten, the sticky substance in the dough.
7. Bread is baked to make it palatable, to cook the starch,
to drive oflf the alcohol and carbon dioxide gas and to kill the
yeast plants. Half baked bread will cause indigestion.
Directions for Kneading.
1. Slip the fingers under the edge of the dough farthest
BREAD MAKING
229
from you and fold the dough towards you about two-thirds of
its length. (Fig. 1.)
2. Then press the dough hard with the palms of the hands,
(Fig. 2) giving the dough a little rolling motion from you.
230
FOOD AND COOKERY
3. Turn the dough towards the left one-fourth of the way-
round so that the end of the dough that was at the right will
be farthest from you. (Fig. 3.)
4. Repeat until the dough is well kneaded, being careful
to keep the smooth side of the dough next to the board.
Bread Mixer.
A bread mixer greatly reduces the labor of bread making
BREAD MAKING 231
in the house. The mixing, rising and kneading are all done in
the mixer. The bread board will only be needed when the bread
is ready to be formed into loaves. It takes less strength to turn
the crank of a mixer than to knead dough by hand and the
bread will be of more uniform texture especially if one is inex-
perienced in the art of bread baking.
Method of Mixing Yeast Batters and Doughs.
1. Scald the liquid.
2. Soften the yeast cake with 1 T. luke warm liquid. ■
(Luke warm means the same as body temperature. Test with
the little finger. If the liquid feels neither warm nor cool to the
finger, it is the proper temperature.)
Page 47
Presented as published in 1915. 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
All yeast is originally obtained from wild yeast floating in the air. If these wild yeasts drop into a sweet, moist food they will commence to grow and cause the food to ferment. "Salt rising" bread is raised by wild yeast. The salt is added to keep the bacteria that drop into the sponge with the yeast from giving the bread a bad taste.
Liquids Used in Yeast Batters.
Milk, water, milk and water, boiled potatoes and water and whey are the liquids used in making bread.
If milk is used it must be scalded to kill the milk-souring bacteria. The growth of these bacteria would hinder the growth of the yeast. It would also sour the bread.
Kinds of Flour.
Wheat will produce the best loaf of bread for the amount of money expended and is more generally used for bread making than any of the other grains.
Bread made from the coarser flours such as graham, whole wheat, oat meal, etc., contain a smaller per cent of nourishment than the white flour breads because the bran they contain consists of indigestible cellulose. They are, however, considered healthful foods for those who live an indoor life, as the cellulose stimulates the action of the intestines.
Points in Bread Making.
1. Bread dough should be a soft dough.
2. If bread is to have only two risings, all of the flour should be added when the bread is first mixed.
3. Use as little flour as possible when kneading bread the second time. It will look streaked if flour is kneaded into it after the first rising.
4. Before forming dough into loaves, knead it until all the gas bubbles are broken down, to make it fine grained, with no large holes in it.
5. If bread is allowed to rise too long, bacteria will change the alcohol into acetic acid and the bread will taste sour. Never let your bread wait for you. Attend to it as soon as it is ready. If it is impossible to knead it when it has risen enough, stir it with a knife until all the gas cells are broken down, then let it rise again.
6. Bread is kneaded
(1) To make it of uniform texture. The gas bubbles
that form first are large and irregular in shape. Kneading breaks them up into small bubbles of uniform size. It is also kneaded
(2) To develop the gluten. We find in wheat flour two
substances (gliaden and glutenin) which when mixed with water and well kneaded unite and form gluten, the sticky substance in the dough.
7. Bread is baked to make it palatable, to cook the starch, to drive oflf the alcohol and carbon dioxide gas and to kill the yeast plants. Half baked bread will cause indigestion.
Directions for Kneading.
1. Slip the fingers under the edge of the dough farthest
from you and fold the dough towards you about two-thirds of its length. (Fig. 1.)
2. Then press the dough hard with the palms of the hands, (Fig. 2) giving the dough a little rolling motion from you.
3. Turn the dough towards the left one-fourth of the wayround so that the end of the dough that was at the right will be farthest from you. (Fig. 3.)
4. Repeat until the dough is well kneaded, being careful to keep the smooth side of the dough next to the board.
Bread Mixer.
A bread mixer greatly reduces the labor of bread making
in the house. The mixing, rising and kneading are all done in the mixer. The bread board will only be needed when the bread is ready to be formed into loaves. It takes less strength to turn the crank of a mixer than to knead dough by hand and the bread will be of more uniform texture especially if one is inexperienced in the art of bread baking.
Method of Mixing Yeast Batters and Doughs.
1. Scald the liquid.
2. Soften the yeast cake with 1 T. luke warm liquid. ■ (Luke warm means the same as body temperature. Test with the little finger. If the liquid feels neither warm nor cool to the finger, it is the proper temperature.)