Care should be taken in rising bread that it is kept warm in cold weather; but not too hot, as that induces the acetous fermentation instead of the vinous, and the dough sours; about 70° to 80° is right. Old bread makers preferred a slow rise, which they said made a sweeter bread, but later scientific developments point towards a quick rising as the best, because yeast being a plant which lives and dies, by quick fermentation the plant is living when the bread is ready to bake, but by the slower process only the dead spores are left. To hasten the process of rising, use plenty of yeast, but do not keep it too hot. The less yeast used however, the sweeter the bread will be, because the yeast consumes the sugar in the dough, and the more yeast used the more sugar will be consumed. BKEAD, BISCUIT, ETC. • 259 Bread keeps better, esx^ecially in hot weather, if no milk is used in the mixing; a bit of butter or a little lard may be added to the warm water used in mixing the bread, which will give it the neces- sary "shortness" when the milk is omitted. When the dough is molded and placed in the pans, allow for its doubling in size before baking — that is, make up the loaves to half fill the pans. It should be placed in the oven before the pans are quite full of the risen dough, for it rises a little after being put in the oven. The Bread Pans. — The brick=shaped sheet=iron pans are preferable to any others, both in shape and material. Eound loaves do not cut in equal sized or symmetrical slices, and the untinned iron pans are better conductors of heat than those bright with tin. Grease the pan lightly before putting in the bread. The bread should not be made in too large loaves, as it is not so sure of being done in the center; besides, the smaller loaves furnish slices of convenient size without breaking, or cutting in 2 parts, as is sometimes done when the loaves are very large; the medium=sized pans or small ones are the best. A loaf is of better shape if molded in 2 parts, which after baking come out of the pan as a single loaf. One long loaf will be smaller at the ends, and will not cut in nice slices, unless the dough is pulled out quite long, and filled in at the ends of the pans. The Oven should be well heated, and a steady fire maintained during the process of baking. An old rule for the heat of the oven, for bread and most baking, was to have it so that you could "hold your hand in it while you counted 12, but no longer, " but the sensi- tiveness to heat, in difPerent individuals varies and a much better test is to throw a tablespoon of fresh flour on the oven bottom. If, after a few seconds the flour remains white, the temperature is too low and should be increased. If it burns black quickly, takes fire, or assumes a dark brown color, the oven is too hot and must be cooled. If it turns a blackish or brownish yellow, and looks slightly scorched, the oven is right. If the oven gets too hot and there is danger of burning the bread, put a dish of hot water in the oven, and the steam will prevent its scorching; it is better, however, to carefully regulate the heat so that this will not be necessary. The right temperature of the oven for baking bread is from 400° to 450°.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Care should be taken in rising bread that it is kept warm in cold weather; but not too hot, as that induces the acetous fermentation instead of the vinous, and the dough sours; about 70° to 80° is right. Old bread makers preferred a slow rise, which they said made a sweeter bread, but later scientific developments point towards a quick rising as the best, because yeast being a plant which lives and dies, by quick fermentation the plant is living when the bread is ready to bake, but by the slower process only the dead spores are left. To hasten the process of rising, use plenty of yeast, but do not keep it too hot. The less yeast used however, the sweeter the bread will be, because the yeast consumes the sugar in the dough, and the more yeast used the more sugar will be consumed. Bread keeps better, especially in hot weather, if no milk is used in the mixing; a bit of butter or a little lard may be added to the warm water used in mixing the bread, which will give it the necessary "shortness" when the milk is omitted. When the dough is molded and placed in the pans, allow for its doubling in size before baking — that is, make up the loaves to half fill the pans. It should be placed in the oven before the pans are quite full of the risen dough, for it rises a little after being put in the oven. The Bread Pans. — The brick-shaped sheet-iron pans are preferable to any others, both in shape and material. Eound loaves do not cut in equal sized or symmetrical slices, and the untinned iron pans are better conductors of heat than those bright with tin. Grease the pan lightly before putting in the bread. The bread should not be made in too large loaves, as it is not so sure of being done in the center; besides, the smaller loaves furnish slices of convenient size without breaking, or cutting in 2 parts, as is sometimes done when the loaves are very large; the medium-sized pans or small ones are the best. A loaf is of better shape if molded in 2 parts, which after baking come out of the pan as a single loaf. One long loaf will be smaller at the ends, and will not cut in nice slices, unless the dough is pulled out quite long, and filled in at the ends of the pans. The Oven should be well heated, and a steady fire maintained during the process of baking. An old rule for the heat of the oven, for bread and most baking, was to have it so that you could "hold your hand in it while you counted 12, but no longer, " but the sensitiveness to heat, in different individuals varies and a much better test is to throw a tablespoon of fresh flour on the oven bottom. If, after a few seconds the flour remains white, the temperature is too low and should be increased. If it burns black quickly, takes fire, or assumes a dark brown color, the oven is too hot and must be cooled. If it turns a blackish or brownish yellow, and looks slightly scorched, the oven is right. If the oven gets too hot and there is danger of burning the bread, put a dish of hot water in the oven, and the steam will prevent its scorching; it is better, however, to carefully regulate the heat so that this will not be necessary. The right temperature of the oven for baking bread is from 400° to 450°.

The household cook book