How large are the yeast plants? They are so small
they cannot be seen without a magnifying glass.
Will the yeast plants grow if the dough is made out of
cold flour? No, it would be like expecting house plants
to grow in a cold room, just above freezing.
Why does bread get light so much quicker sometimes
than at other times? Because the temperature of the
dough makes a great deal of difference in the rapid or
slow growth of the yeast plants.
What makes the dough light? These little yeast plants
in growing give off carbonic acid gas and this pushes
apart the particles of dough.
Is there danger of the yeast plants getting chilled if
the dough stands in a draft? Yes, it will injure their
growth more than it would a hothouse plant.
Should the yeast be mixed thoroughly through the
dough? Yes, or all parts will not be equally light; that
is one advantage in using a good bread mixer.
What should be done if the bread does not rise fast
enough. Stand it in a dish of warm water, and add more
warm water about every half hour; but do not keep it too
warm.
How long should it take to rise the first time? Four
hours, when it should have doubled in bulk, and the sec-
First Aid to Good Cooking 93
ond time it should take one hour, when there should be
twice as much as was put in the baking pans.
Will it injure the bread if the dough gets too light?
Yes, especially the second time, when it has been shaped
into loaves, it will be coarse-grained, and will fall when
put into the oven, and there will be a heavy line near the
bottom of the loaf.
Does bread ever have this heavy line on the bottom
from any other cause? Yes, if it is put to rise where
the heat on the bottom of the pan is too great it will kill
the yeast plants and stop the bread from rising in the
bottom of the pan.
What causes sour bread? It is caused by an acid
given off by undesirable bacteria in their growth in the
bread; these bacteria, like yeast, are little microscopic
plants.
How did they get in the bread ? They may have come
from unclean hands or dishes, or the dough may have
been left to stand too long, so that the yeast in it stopped
working, and the dangerous bacteria then had a good
chance to grow.
Is there danger of having the oven too hot? Yes, if
it is too hot, when the bread is put in, it will form a thick
crust on top and prevent the heat from reaching the cen-
ter of the loaf, so that part of the bread will be under-
done and very indigestible, while the outside crust may
be burned. Besides, the gas cannot penetrate the hard
crust and it will make large holes just under it.
When should the fire be attended to that the oven
may be right for the bread? When the bread has been
in the baking pan one-half hour, if coal is used. The
ashes should be shaken down and coal put on, so the fire-
box will be half full evenly across; see that no pieces of
coal have lodged between the top of the stove and the top
of the oven to prevent the heat passing over the oven;
open the dampers, and in ten minutes close some of them.
How hot should the oven be when the loaves go in?
Rolls and small long loaves require a hotter oven than
94 First Aid to Good Cooking
Page 49
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
How large are the yeast plants? They are so small they cannot be seen without a magnifying glass.
Will the yeast plants grow if the dough is made out of cold flour? No, it would be like expecting house plants to grow in a cold room, just above freezing.
Why does bread get light so much quicker sometimes than at other times? Because the temperature of the dough makes a great deal of difference in the rapid or slow growth of the yeast plants.
What makes the dough light? These little yeast plants in growing give off carbonic acid gas and this pushes apart the particles of dough.
Is there danger of the yeast plants getting chilled if the dough stands in a draft? Yes, it will injure their growth more than it would a hothouse plant.
Should the yeast be mixed thoroughly through the dough? Yes, or all parts will not be equally light; that is one advantage in using a good bread mixer.
What should be done if the bread does not rise fast enough. Stand it in a dish of warm water, and add more warm water about every half hour; but do not keep it too warm.
How long should it take to rise the first time? Four hours, when it should have doubled in bulk, and the sec-
First Aid to Good Cooking 93
ond time it should take one hour, when there should be twice as much as was put in the baking pans.
Will it injure the bread if the dough gets too light? Yes, especially the second time, when it has been shaped into loaves, it will be coarse-grained, and will fall when put into the oven, and there will be a heavy line near the bottom of the loaf.
Does bread ever have this heavy line on the bottom from any other cause? Yes, if it is put to rise where the heat on the bottom of the pan is too great it will kill the yeast plants and stop the bread from rising in the bottom of the pan.
What causes sour bread? It is caused by an acid given off by undesirable bacteria in their growth in the bread; these bacteria, like yeast, are little microscopic plants.
How did they get in the bread ? They may have come from unclean hands or dishes, or the dough may have been left to stand too long, so that the yeast in it stopped working, and the dangerous bacteria then had a good chance to grow.
Is there danger of having the oven too hot? Yes, if it is too hot, when the bread is put in, it will form a thick crust on top and prevent the heat from reaching the center of the loaf, so that part of the bread will be underdone and very indigestible, while the outside crust may be burned. Besides, the gas cannot penetrate the hard crust and it will make large holes just under it.
When should the fire be attended to that the oven may be right for the bread? When the bread has been in the baking pan one-half hour, if coal is used. The ashes should be shaken down and coal put on, so the firebox will be half full evenly across; see that no pieces of coal have lodged between the top of the stove and the top of the oven to prevent the heat passing over the oven; open the dampers, and in ten minutes close some of them.
How hot should the oven be when the loaves go in? Rolls and small long loaves require a hotter oven than
94 First Aid to Good Cooking