Foods and home making

In using dry yeast, a sponge should be made. This moist mixture is needed in order to make the dry yeast plants begin to grow as quickly as possible. In making yeast rolls or bis- cuits, even though compressed yeast is used, the sponge method is followed. This is done to make biscuits especially light. When potatoes are used, the rolls are especially moist and deli- cious. POTATO YEAST ROLLS OR BISCUITS 1 cup scalded milk \ cup lard £ cup butter | cup sugar 1 cup mashed potatoes Bread flour, 1 cup bread flour 2 eggs, beaten 1 cake yeast \ cup lukewarm water 1| teaspoons salt about 5 cups Mix the hot milk, fat, and sugar. Stir in the potatoes. Let stand until it is lukewarm. Then add 1 cup flour and the eggs. Mix the yeast with the lukewarm water. Add this to the milk and potato mixture. Beat until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Cover and set aside in a warm place until the mixture is risen and full of bubbles. Add more flour, sufficient to make the dough stiff enough to knead. Knead until the dough is elastic. Cover and set aside in a warm place. Let the dough rise until it is at least doubled in size. Knead the dough. The dough is now ready to be shaped into biscuits or rolls. To make plain biscuits, take a small piece of dough (about half as large as you want the biscuit to be) and shape it into a ball. If you desire biscuits 432 Dinner covered with crust, place the balls on a greased dripping pan or pie pan. Put the balls of dough on the pan so there is a space between them. If you wish biscuits with crust only on the top and bottom, place the balls of dough close together on a greased pan. Yield : jd rolls. To make Clover Leaf rolls — Shape the dough into small balls, not more than an inch in diameter. Place 3 balls in each cup of a greased muffin pan. To make Parker House rolls — With a rolling pin roll out the dough on a slightly floured board until it is from £ to £ inch in thickness. With a biscuit cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Put a bit of butter near the edge of each biscuit. Fold each biscuit and press the edges together. Place the biscuits on a greased pan. Cover the biscuits or rolls and let them rise until they are at least 2\ times as large as when shaped. Bake in a hot oven — 400° F. — for 20 to 25 minutes. The time will depend upon the size of the biscuits and the color desired. The crust may be softened with butter as directed on page 430, or it may be glazed. To glaze the crust — A few minutes before removing the biscuits or rolls from the oven, brush them with milk and sugar (1 part sugar to 1 parts milk) or diluted egg white (1 egg white, 1 tablespoon water). SUMMARY Some of the materials used in making yeast bread : 1. Flour — Use wheat bread flour or a combination of wheat bread flour with whole-wheat or Graham flour. It is advisable to warm the flour before mixing it with the other ingredients especially in cold weather. 2. Yeast — Kinds commonly used — (a) dry, (b) compressed. Dry yeast consists of dried yeast plants mixed with corn meal. This kind of yeast must be placed first in a sponge so as to start the yeast plants growing. Compressed yeast consists of yeast plants mixed with moistened starch. Since the yeast plants are active, they begin to grow rapidly when placed in bread sponge or bread dough. Compressed yeast spoils easily.