FoodNetArchive

The new practical housekeeping

1890

Page 19 · 1 recipe record on this page

Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Another good rule is the following : Save the water drained from the potatoes for dinnevj mashing some of them in it if desired. Add as much water as will make the amount of bread required, allowing one pint for a medium sized loaf. Dissolve one-third of a dry yeast cake for each loaf in a cup of warm water and stir it into the pota- to water, being sure to have it warm but not too warm. Add a tea- spoon of salt for each pint, beat in as much flour as will make as stiff a batter as can well be beaten with a spoon and set in a warm place to rise. The last thing before going to bed, make into a dough just stiff enough to knead well ; knead for ten minutes and again put in a warm place to stand over-night. In the morning the bread will be light. ICnead another ten minutes, mold into loaves and put into tins. Small or medium-sized ones are preferable to drip- ping-pans as the bread bakes «iore evenly and thoroughly and is sweeter and richer. When light bake in a moderate oven three-quar- ters of an hour. Place the loaves on the sides to cool and put away in a stone jar or tin bread box. For Graham or Brown Bread, set the yeast at night the same as for white bread, leaving out the potato water and allowing one-half the amount for each loafl In the morn- ing when light, add one large cup of new milk and one tablespoon- ful of brown sugar or New Orleans molasses for each loaf. Beat in Graham flour so long as it can be stirred, with a teaspoon or paddle, pour into deep baking tins and set in a warm place until it has ris- en to twice its bulk and bake one hour in a moderate oven. Wrap in damp cloths to soften the crust, if preferred. Bread loith Compressed Yeast, — When it is possible to obtain fresh compressed yeast, also called German yeast, an excellent bread can be made in about two hours and a half; the rapidity of the leavening or **raising" the dough is advantageous, because less of the nutritive elements of the flour are lost than by following the long process ; for two loaves of oread use three pounds of flour BBEAD-BfAKING. 27 about a quart of water, two teaspoons salt, and an ounce of fresh compressed jeast ; dissolve the yeast in a pint of lukewarm waterBread with Compressed Yeast ; stir m sufficient flour to make a thick hatter or sponge, cover with a folded towel, and set it in a ^ann place to rise ; if properly covered and heated it will rise to a li^ht foam in about half an hour ; then stir into it the salt, dissolved m a little warm water ; add the rest of the flour and sufficient lukewarm water to make a dough stiff" enough to knead ; knead it five minutes ; divide it into two loaves, put them into buttered baking-pans, cover them with a folded towel, and set them in a warm place to rise twice their heighith ; then bake as directed in other recipes. In raising the spoBge be sure the heat is not sufficient to ^'scald" or harden it, as that will prevent fermen- tation ; therefore do not place it where the hand can not be held with comfort ; keep it covered from draughts. If, when it is li^ht, it has become at all soured, as it sometimes will in summer, stir into it before adding the balance of the flour a salt-spoon baking soda, dis- solved in a very little lukewarm water.