Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-11-29
Bread Making in Spain.

in this picturesque village of Aloale de Guadairs,
but commonly called Alcala de los Panderos-or
bakers-as almost all the bread consumed in Se-
vile is made there, determined to learn how 1t
was made. No traveller who visits the south Of
Spain ever fails TO remark, Show delicious the
bread isl" 1t is as white as snow, close as cake,
yet very light; the flavor is most delicious, for
the wheat is good and pure, and the bread well
kneaded. t
AS practical demonstration is better than hear.
say or theory, would not content myself with
the description of the process of bread making,
but went to the house of a baker, whose pretty
wife and daughter had often stopped to look at,
as they were sorting the wheat, seated on very
low stools 10 the porch Of their house. 1t was a
pretty picture; their dark sparkling eyes, rosy
cheeks, and snowy teeth; their hair always
beautifully dressed, and always ornamented with
natural flowers from their little garden in the
back ground; their bright colored neokerchiefa
rolled 10 at the top, showing the neck; their cot.
ton gowns with short sleeves; their hands scru.
pulously clean, and so small that many an aris.
tocratic dame might have envied them; sur
rounded by panniers filed with wheat, which
they took out handful at time, sorting 1t most
lexpeditiously, and throwing every defective
| grain in another basket. -Tst szE
When this is done the wheat is ground between
two large circular stones, in the way it was
ground in Egypt two thousand years ago, the
rotary motion being given by q blndfolded mule,
which PAGES round and round with untiriDg pa.
thence, bell being attached to his neck, which
as long as be is in motion tinkles Oh, and when
be stops he is urged to his duty by the shout OF
ssarre naula," from some one within hearing
When ground the wheat is sifted through three
sieves, the last being so fine that only the pure
-four can pass through it; it is of q pale apricot
color.
The bread is made of an evening; and after
sunset returned to the bakers and watched bis
pretty wife first weigh the flour, and then mix it
with only Just sufficient water, mixed with lit.
tie salt. to make it into dough. A very small
quantity of leaven is added. The. Scripture says,
"a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump ;"but
lin England, to avoid the trouble of kneading,
they put as much leaven, or yeast in one batch
of household bread, ss in Spain would last them
a week for the six or eight donkey loads OF bread
they send every night from their oven.
and carried on the donkey's back to the oven in
the centre of the village, SO as to bake 1t imme-
diately it is kneaded. On arriving there, the
dough was divided into portions weighing three
pounds each. Two long narrow wooden tables,
on tresses, were then placed down the room,
and, to my surprise, about twenty men came in
and ranged themselves on one side OF the tables.
A lump of dough was handed to the nearest,
which he commenced kneading and knocking
about, and then passed it to his neighbor, who
did the same, and so on successively till all had
kpeaded it. when it was as soft as new putty,
and ready for the oven. OF course, as soon as
the first baker hands the loaf to his neighbor,
another is given to him, and so on till the whole
quantity of dough is kneaded by them all. The
bakers wife aud daughter shape them for the
oven. Some of the loaves are divided into many
smaller ones, and Immediately baked The
ovens are very large, and not heated BY fires un-
der them; but q quantity of twigs of the herbs
of the sweet majoram and thyme, which cover
the hills 10 great profusion, are put in the oven
and ignited. They heat the oven to any extent
required and as the bread gets baked the oven
gets gradually cooler, so the bread is never
burned. ll.Ig jcl ~ s5 .,a2 !.e,at r.f
They knead the bread in Spain with such force
that the palm OF the hand and the second joints
Of the bakers fingers are covered with corns ;
and it so affects the chest that they cannot work
for more than two hours at time. They can
be heard from some distance, as they givea kind
of cultural sound-ha, haas they work, which
they say eases the chest. Our sailors have the
same fancy when hosting SAIL .gy
have kept q small loaf of Spanish bread for
several months in dry place, and then i'm
mersed it in boiling water and rebaked 1t and
can assure my readers that it was neither musty
nor sour.--London paper. su'az 5las a. ~