Bread

Ingredients

• one yeast-cake
• three potatoes
• one pint flour
• a teaspoon salt
• a pint warm water

Method

1. 1

   Set sponge at 9 o'clock in the evening in summer or at noon and make it up in the evening.

2. 2

   For the sponge, use yeast soaked in lukewarm water, boiled and mashed potatoes, and flour.

3. 3

   Scald with boiling potato water, add yeast after cooling, and mix to a smooth paste.

4. 4

   Add salt and beat for 15 minutes.

5. 5

   When the sponge foams, add warm water and flour to make a smooth dough that will not stick to the fingers.

6. 6

   Set in a warm place until full of cells.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated from matched ingredients across 2 servings.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The new practical housekeeping (1890) by Estelle Woods Wilcox, page 11. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

bread the heat of the oven should not rise above 550^ nor fall below 250^. To test the oven put half a sheet of writing paper in the oven ; if it catches fire it is too hot ; open the dampers nnd wait ten minutes, when put in another piece of paper ; if it blackens it is still too hot. Ten minutes later put in a third piece ; if it gets dark hrown the oven is right for all small pastry, called ^^dark hrovm paper heat^ Light hroionpaper heat is suitable for vol-au-vents or fruit pies. Dark yellow paper heat for large pieces of pastry or me^t pies, pound cake, bread, etc. Light yellow paper heat for sponge cake, meringues, etc. To ob- tain these various degrees of hekt, try paper every ten minutes till heat required for the' purpose is attained. Remember that "light yellow" means paper only tinged ; "dark yellow," paper the color of ordinary pine wood ; "light brown" is only a shade darker, about the color of nice pie-crust, and dark brown a shade darker, by no means coffee color. The oven door should be closed immediately upon putting the bread in, and be sure that no part of the range is open during the baking; neither should the door be opened too soon nor too often to look at the bread. About ten minutes after putting in the loaves it is best to look into the oven to see how the bread is doing, and once or twice again during the ^baking, as. the loaves may require BREAD-MAKING. . 19 changing, opening and closing the doors as quickly as possible. If the loaves begin to brown too quickly cover with a piece of thick brown paper ; if they begin to brown quickly at one end and not at the other change their position, or if the loaf at the back of the oven bakes faster than those at the front, change them about. As a quantity of dough to b^gin with somewhat reduces the temperature of the oven at first, one loaf will not require so hot an oven as four or five. The time required for baking is not less than three-quarters of an hour, and bread baked a full hour is more whole- some and is considered more palatable. If bread is baked in the French roll pan it does not require so long a time, as the "rolls" are only about two and a half to three inches deep and same width, being rounded at the bottom. They are very nice for slicing, mak- ing pretty pieces. The pans come in different lengths, eight, twelve, sixteen and twenty inches. All loaves of bread of whatever shape, and biscuits, rolls, etc;, are much nicer if when almost baked they are carefully moved out on oven-shelf and brushed, using the pas- try brush, with the Eoll Glaze, (which is two yolks* beaten with twice their l^ulk in water and half teaspoon sugar) and then return- ed to oven till done. There are various methods of testing bread and ascertaining when it is thoroughly baked. 1. A loaf of bread, if sufficiently done, will not burn the hand when lifted from the baking pan. If it does, there is more hot steam within than is consistent with thorough baking, and the loaf should be replaced, instantly, in the oven. 2. If the bottom of a well-baked loaf be tapped with the fin- ger, a hollow, empty sound will be emitted, but underdone or heavy bread gives forth a dull sound. 3. The crust of a loaf when properly baked is a rich, brown color; and if the inside or crumb be subjected to light pressure, while fresh, it rebounds the instant the pressure is removed. 4. Underdone bread is easily compressed into wads, when it resembles putty in appearance. REMOVAL FROM THE PANS. i I Bread as soon as baked should be taken from the pans and placed, uncovered, in such position as will expose the greatest possi- ble amount of surface to the air. This will prevent the crust from 20 BREAD-MAKING. becoming sodden, and permit the rapid escape of the carbonic acid gas evolved :n the process of fermentation. This gas is essential to expand the dough and lighten the bread, but its presence is not con- ducive to health, and it should be encouraged to take its exit at the earliest possible moment after performing its mission. The ceii walls of fermented bread are coated with glassy starch which is quite moist and adhesive while the bread is warm and fresh and if bread is eaten while in this condition — although very thor- oughly baked — it becomes a compact mass, almost impervious to the gastric juices, and resists for a much* longer time than stale or cold bread, the digestive powers of the stomach. Moreover, the yeast plants or germs generated during the fermentation^ although in a great measure destroyed by the heat of the oven, continue to a certain extent to live for sometime after bread has been baked, and if taken into the human system may prove injurious to health. Hence fermented bread should never be eaten till, at least thorough- Iv cold. Experience proves that butter, lard or grease of any kind put in- to dough does not improve the quality of the bread, and as it to some extent affects the fermentation injuriously, it should, when used, be added at the last kneading. But as the crisp tenderness caused by its introduction can be produced perfectly by skillful manipulating and baking, no "shortening" other than milk ie ever necessary in bread. To prevent dough from sticking, the bowl or vessel in which it is put to rise should always be greased with a little lard, butter or drippings. If bread and rolls are brushed lightly with milk immediately before they are put in, and after they are taken from the oven, the color and flavor of the crust will be materially improved. Rolls are more crisp and tender when baked quickly, and the heat of the oven should be somewhat greater for rolls than for bread. They should also be considerably lighter than bread when put to bake, as the fermentation is arrested so rapidly by the heat required for baking them properly, that they rise but little after they go in- to the oven. BREAD-MAKING. 21 Bread. — Set sponge at nine o'cl6ck in the evening in summer and keep it in a cool place ; or at noon and make it up in the even- ing. Do not keep in cellar or it will sour. In the winter set it at six o'clock at night and place where it will keep warm. For the sponge use one yeast^ake soaked in lukewarm water, three potatoes boiled and mashed fine and one pint flour. Scald with the boiling potato water, adding the yeast after the mixture has become cool, and mixing to a smooth paste. Add a teaspoon salt and beat fifteen minutes. When the sponge foams it is risen sufficientlv ; then add a pint warm water

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.