Bread

Ingredients

• one cake of compressed yeast
• four tablespoons of lukewarm water
• two cups of lukewarm water or milk
• one level teaspoon of salt
• one level tablespoon of sugar
• one level tablespoon of lard
• about three cups of flour
• three or four cups of flour

Method

1. 1

   Mix yeast with lukewarm water.

2. 2

   Add lukewarm water or milk, salt, sugar, lard, and stir in enough flour to make a batter.

3. 3

   Beat until smooth and full of air bubbles.

4. 4

   Add more flour to make a stiff dough and knead until smooth and elastic.

5. 5

   Let rise until doubled in bulk, about three hours.

6. 6

   Shape into loaves, let rise again until doubled, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Nutrition per serving

As published

This recipe was extracted from Principles of cooking (1914) by Emma Conley, page 45. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

bread. This is one reason why a temperature over go° F. is not best for bread making. The undesirable ferments 118 So eee Te ee i a a a a | ; CEREALS AND LEAVENING AGENTS I1Q thrive best at the higher temperature, and that produces a bread not as well flavored as bread raised at 70° to go° F. | When bread is made from milk, the milk is scalded, to destroy some bacteria which are present. Salt also delays the development of undesirable organisms, in addition to flavoring the bread. Salt was used in the old process called “ salt raising ” that was in vogue before compressed yeast was made. The liquid to be used in bread making was exposed to the air so that the yeast germs would enter, and salt was used to retard the growth of the other organ- isms until the yeast started to develop. When froth or gas formed, it was a sign that the yeast was at work, and so the dough was prepared. Experiments with Yeast. — Mix some water and molasses, in pro- portion of ten parts water to one part molasses. Add a little com- pressed yeast to the mixture. 1. Place one third of the mixture in a test tube and put it in a cold place and note whether there is a formation of gas. After several hours heat to a temperature of go° F., and note result. 2. Place one third of the mixture in another test tube and keep at a temperature of 70°-g0° F., and note result. 3. Place one third of the mixture in another test tube and boil the mixture and then place in a warm place and note whether gas forms. What conclusion can be drawn as to the best temperature for the development of yeast and for bread making ? Experiments with Kinds of Yeast. — Mix one fourth cake of com- pressed yeast with one tablespoon of lukewarm water, add one half cup of lukewarm water, and beat in one cup of flour. Note the length of time that it takes the mixture to become light. Repeat the same experiment with one fourth dry yeast cake and note result. » 120 CEREALS AND LEAVENING AGENTS BREAD JUDGING Several points are to be noted in determining the essen- tial characteristics of a good loaf of bread. 1. Shape and Size of Loaf.— A loaf should not be too large to bake evenly, and not so large that the slices are awk- ward to handle. The best-sized pan for baking is about toinches long, 4 inches wide, and 5 inches high. ‘The loaf should rise evenly, be slightly rounded in the middle, but of uniform height throughout. It should not spread over the side of the pan. This characteristic indicates that the bread was allowed to rise too long, or that the oven was too slow. 2. Color of Crust and Crumb. — The crust should be a uniform golden brown, on top, bottom, and sides. The crumb should be of a creamy color and should have no yee spots or streaks. 3. Flavor. — ‘The bread should not taste of yeast and should have no suspicion of sourness either in smell or flavor. It should have a sweet nutty taste. 4. Lightness, Texture, and Grain.— The bread should be uniformly light throughout. It should have fine uni- form pores and no large holes. 5. Doughiness and Moisture.— A good loaf of bread should not be dry enough to crumble nor moist enough so that the crumb forms a ball when rolled. When a good loaf of bread is cut, the crumb should be soft enough so that when it is pressed with the finger it dents easily, but springs back readily to an even surface. To make good bread, good flour and fresh yeast should be used, and attention should be given to kneading, raising, baking, and care of the loaf after it is removed from the oven. No other food is as good as a good loaf of bread. a te ee | CEREALS AND LEAVENING AGENTS 12 BREAD: AND ROLLS Bread may be made in two ways, by setting a sponge and allowing it to rise overnight and then kneading it, or by kneading it to a dough immediately. By using a sponge, less yeast is required, as a longer time is allowed for the yeast to grow. On the other hand, the disadvan- tage of sponge dough is that when allowed to stand over night it may become chilled, because a temperature of 70° F. cannot always be maintained, or it may become Overripe and hence sour. Sponge is used for making rolls, Panne etc., as the butter and eggs will mix more readily in sponge, and the result will be a lighter product. Bread. — Mix one cake of compressed yeast with four tablespoons of lukewarm water (98° F.). To two cups of lukewarm water or milk, or half milk and half water, , add one level teaspoon of salt, one level tablespoon of sugar, one level tablespoon of lard, and the yeast. Stir in enough flour (about three cups) to make a batter, and beat until smooth and full of air bubbles. Then add three or four cups of flour, or enough to make a stiff dough, and knead thoroughly. Continue kneading until the dough does not stick to the hands or the board, until it rises quickly when indented with the hand, until it feels smooth, elastic, and spongy. When this is satisfactory, place the bread in a bowl or bread raiser. Keep it at a temperature of from 70° to 75°, and let it rise until it doubles its bulk, about three hours. Then take it from the bowl and shape into two loaves, using no more flour. Place the bread in pans, and let it rise until it has doubled its bulk (about one hour), -.and then bake it. When the bread is put into the oven, 2/2 CEREALS AND LEAVENING AGENTS the heat should not be very great. The bread should continue to rise during the first fifteen minutes, because if. the crust becomes ‘too hard it prevents expansion and the bread will be heavy. After the first fifteen minutes the heat should be increased so that the bread will brown prop- erly, and during the last fifteen minutes it can be decreased again. Bread should be baked from 50 to 60 minutes. If a crisp crust is desired, do not cover the bread when it is taken from the oven. To glaze the loaves, rub them with a damp cloth before taking from the oven, and allow them to dry. Using milk instead of water in bread making adds to the nutritive value of the bread and makes a sweeter loaf. Bread Recipe II. Sponge Dough. — To set sponge: Use one cake of yeast foam or one half cake of compressed yeast for two loaves of bread. Mix the yeast with four tablespoons of lukewarm water. Use two cups of luke- warm liquid, one level teaspoon of salt, one level tablespoon of sugar, one level tablespoon of lard, and add the yeast. Stir in about three cups of flour

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