If dough becomes chilled, put the pan at once into a larger one filled with warm water, and as fast as the water cools replace it with more which is warm, until the dough begins to rise again. By keep- ing rising dough at a temperature of about 50° (by putting it in a cellar or otherwise), it may be kept at a standstill for hours without being injured; then it should be brought into a warm room about an hour before baking, to finish the rising process. The best icay of mixing bread is to mix the yeast well into the water or milk, and then work in the flour. This is better than the old way of making a hole in the flour and then pouring the liquid into it, as less kneading will be necessary, and the yeast will be more uniformly mixed with the flour. It is better to measure the liquid, letting that regulate the size of the loaf, and then add enough flour to make it the right consistency, than it is to measure the flour first and then add the liquid. Measure the liquid, and either mix in all the flour at first, or else add about half at first, making a batter, let it rise well, then add the remainder, and let it rise again. By the latter method the bread rises more quickly, and milk bread may in the summer be thus mixed in the morning and baked by noon. House- licepers can try the 2 methods and adopt the one which they prefer, When yeast bread is mixed in the morning instead of at night 17 258 BREAD, BISCUIT, ETC. (and with the quickly rising comxDressed yeast this is often done) instead of molding the bread when first mixed, it can be stirred with a sjDoon, and the flour cut into it, until the dough is quite stitf; then cover it to keep it warm and in 2 or 3 hours it will have risen so that more flour can be added, then molded, and put into baking-pans to rise. Many persons prefer this bread as being better and sweeter than when risen over night. Remember that getting the dough too stiff is one great fault in making bread; aim to have it as soft as possible without being at all sticky or wet. If either the sponge or the dough be permitted to overwork itself, that is to say, if the mixing and kneading be neg- lected when it has reached the proper point for either, sour bread will probably be the result in warm weather, and bad bread at all times. The Kneading. — The object in kneading the dough is to thor- oughly mix the flour and water, and evenly distribute the yeast, so that the fermentation may be uniform. It is best done on a bread board, although often done in a mixing bowl. The dough should be kneaded until it is a smooth, plastic, even grained mass. The mo- tion is hard to describe, but much depends on having the kneading thoroughly and properly done. Use as little extra flour as possible. Deftness rather than strength counts in the process. If you can pull the dough out long, and it springs back to the hand, it is good. The Rising. — In setting the dough to rise, the rule is that it should rise till its size is a little more than doubled. It is best to cover it with several thicknesses of cloth and a tight fitting cover; this will keep out the air and prevent a thick crust from forming, which will not mix well with the dough when it is kneaded, and will cause streaks or spots in the bread. Grease the bowl in which the dough is set to rise.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

If dough becomes chilled, put the pan at once into a larger one filled with warm water, and as fast as the water cools replace it with more which is warm, until the dough begins to rise again. By keeping rising dough at a temperature of about 50° (by putting it in a cellar or otherwise), it may be kept at a standstill for hours without being injured; then it should be brought into a warm room about an hour before baking, to finish the rising process. The best way of mixing bread is to mix the yeast well into the water or milk, and then work in the flour. This is better than the old way of making a hole in the flour and then pouring the liquid into it, as less kneading will be necessary, and the yeast will be more uniformly mixed with the flour. It is better to measure the liquid, letting that regulate the size of the loaf, and then add enough flour to make it the right consistency, than it is to measure the flour first and then add the liquid. Measure the liquid, and either mix in all the flour at first, or else add about half at first, making a batter, let it rise well, then add the remainder, and let it rise again. By the latter method the bread rises more quickly, and milk bread may in the summer be thus mixed in the morning and baked by noon. Houselicepers can try the 2 methods and adopt the one which they prefer, When yeast bread is mixed in the morning instead of at night (and with the quickly rising compressed yeast this is often done) instead of molding the bread when first mixed, it can be stirred with a spoon, and the flour cut into it, until the dough is quite stitf; then cover it to keep it warm and in 2 or 3 hours it will have risen so that more flour can be added, then molded, and put into baking-pans to rise. Many persons prefer this bread as being better and sweeter than when risen over night. Remember that getting the dough too stiff is one great fault in making bread; aim to have it as soft as possible without being at all sticky or wet. If either the sponge or the dough be permitted to overwork itself, that is to say, if the mixing and kneading be neglected when it has reached the proper point for either, sour bread will probably be the result in warm weather, and bad bread at all times. The Kneading. — The object in kneading the dough is to thoroughly mix the flour and water, and evenly distribute the yeast, so that the fermentation may be uniform. It is best done on a bread board, although often done in a mixing bowl. The dough should be kneaded until it is a smooth, plastic, even grained mass. The motion is hard to describe, but much depends on having the kneading thoroughly and properly done. Use as little extra flour as possible. Deftness rather than strength counts in the process. If you can pull the dough out long, and it springs back to the hand, it is good. The Rising. — In setting the dough to rise, the rule is that it should rise till its size is a little more than doubled. It is best to cover it with several thicknesses of cloth and a tight fitting cover; this will keep out the air and prevent a thick crust from forming, which will not mix well with the dough when it is kneaded, and will cause streaks or spots in the bread. Grease the bowl in which the dough is set to rise.

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