In bread making it is necessary to have first-class yeast, the best of flour, pure water, a good oven, and any amount of good common sense. Variations must be made according to locality, climate, altitude, kind of flour, and other conditions. Experience is a necessary teacher in this as in any other work. The quickest and surest way to become proficient in the art is to place yourself under the tutorage of a good bread maker. To insure the best results, the temperature should be the same throughout the process; and this can only be determined by the use of a thermometer. Ten or fifteen cents will buy one which will record 120 degrees, which is sufficiently high, as the material should not be allowed to reach more than 85 degrees ordinarily. Some localities may require a higher temperature. An earthen bowl is better than tin or granite, as it is not so subject to change of temperature. BAKERY AND BREAKFAST DISHES 239 Of the many methods of making good bread, the fol- lowing has been chosen by the writer: — Break in pieces one half of a dry yeast cake. Some use a whole cake ; but it will be noticed that the bread has a strong yeasty taste, and the sponge is likely to fall be- fore morning, thus deteriorating in both taste and nutri- tion. Soak the yeast a few minutes in a little tepid water. Into a warmed mixing bowl put a pint of water at 95 degrees. Add the soaked yeast cake, and beat in warm (not hot) flour until the batter is so stiff that it does not flatten readily. Beat until smooth, cover, and keep it warm overnight. A box of suitable size, bound about with sev- eral thicknesses of newspaper, and partly filled with hay, straw, or excelsior, makes a warm closet for bread sponge. By means of a kettle of hot water, warm bricks, or flat- irons, in the bottom of the box, the batter may be kept warm until morning, if no room in the house is warm enough. Cover the box with enough paper to insure suc- cess. The sponge will be light and warm in the morning, but should not be removed until the room in which the kneading is to be done is warmed to at least 90 degrees. Add a pint or more of warm water to the sponge, salt to taste, and add a spoonful of sugar. Have the flour, kneading board, and your hands warm. Proceed to make a stiff dough, and knead it until smooth, so it will clear the board without any sprinkling of flour. Return it to the warm bowl, and keep it warm until it has risen to twice its original size. If an extra fermentation is de- sired, it may be lightly worked down, and turned over to rise again. The more fermentation, the more the nutri- 240 VEGETARIAN COOK BOOK tion is lessened. When ready for tlie tins, have them oiled and warm. Very slightly knead and symmetrically form portions of dough half the size you wish your finished loaves to be, and continue to keep them warm. If the oven is hot enough to brown a spoonful of flour on its floor, it is ready for the bread. The bread should be carefully watched, and turned if necessary to insure even baking. Should any part of the loaf have a pale surface at the end of an hour, it may be removed from the tin, and be placed in contact with a hot part of the oven to brown.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

In bread making it is necessary to have first-class yeast, the best of flour, pure water, a good oven, and any amount of good common sense. Variations must be made according to locality, climate, altitude, kind of flour, and other conditions. Experience is a necessary teacher in this as in any other work. The quickest and surest way to become proficient in the art is to place yourself under the tutorage of a good bread maker. To insure the best results, the temperature should be the same throughout the process; and this can only be determined by the use of a thermometer. Ten or fifteen cents will buy one which will record 120 degrees, which is sufficiently high, as the material should not be allowed to reach more than 85 degrees ordinarily. Some localities may require a higher temperature. An earthen bowl is better than tin or granite, as it is not so subject to change of temperature. Of the many methods of making good bread, the following has been chosen by the writer: — Break in pieces one half of a dry yeast cake. Some use a whole cake ; but it will be noticed that the bread has a strong yeasty taste, and the sponge is likely to fall before morning, thus deteriorating in both taste and nutrition. Soak the yeast a few minutes in a little tepid water. Into a warmed mixing bowl put a pint of water at 95 degrees. Add the soaked yeast cake, and beat in warm (not hot) flour until the batter is so stiff that it does not flatten readily. Beat until smooth, cover, and keep it warm overnight. A box of suitable size, bound about with several thicknesses of newspaper, and partly filled with hay, straw, or excelsior, makes a warm closet for bread sponge. By means of a kettle of hot water, warm bricks, or flatirons, in the bottom of the box, the batter may be kept warm until morning, if no room in the house is warm enough. Cover the box with enough paper to insure success. The sponge will be light and warm in the morning, but should not be removed until the room in which the kneading is to be done is warmed to at least 90 degrees. Add a pint or more of warm water to the sponge, salt to taste, and add a spoonful of sugar. Have the flour, kneading board, and your hands warm. Proceed to make a stiff dough, and knead it until smooth, so it will clear the board without any sprinkling of flour. Return it to the warm bowl, and keep it warm until it has risen to twice its original size. If an extra fermentation is desired, it may be lightly worked down, and turned over to rise again. The more fermentation, the more the nutri- tion is lessened. When ready for tlie tins, have them oiled and warm. Very slightly knead and symmetrically form portions of dough half the size you wish your finished loaves to be, and continue to keep them warm. If the oven is hot enough to brown a spoonful of flour on its floor, it is ready for the bread. The bread should be carefully watched, and turned if necessary to insure even baking. Should any part of the loaf have a pale surface at the end of an hour, it may be removed from the tin, and be placed in contact with a hot part of the oven to brown.

Vegetarian Cook Book