Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-12-03
Bread.

b.
No amount of kneading, beating, or
chopping can give good bread, Of the
first quality, from poor or second rate
flour. The best quality Of flour Is not
sufficient, either, TO make first-class
bread II the yeast is not OF the best. Per-
feet flour, the perfection of yeast, will
not do 1t II the dough is allowed TO sour,
or approach so nearly to souring as to
destroy the pure sweet flavor of the
wheat. IL too much yeast is used no
perfection of quality either in flour or
yeast will secure good bread. 1t Is q
mistake which most cooks are very
prone to make, unless carefully in
structed by the mistress, to use too large
a quantity of yeast. 1t expedites their
work, no doubt, but makes their labor
unsatisfactory. 1t must be confessed
that very many otherwise excellent
cook-books make the same mistake.
Some people are color-blind, and others
are equally deficient in taste and smell (;
and such will never make good cooks.
We know housekeepers who tell us they
can not distinguish between strong but
ter or sweet butter; between sour bread
and that whose flavor is as sweet as new
wheat. And these are tho ones, who, If
their bread is light and tender, do not
dream that it may be ruined by the
strong taste of the hops and too much
salt, or by too much yeast.
The bread was light, tender and
baked to beautiful golden brown; but,
ah! the bitter taste of the hops had
ruined it. "How much yeast did you
put to your breadP" "One cake and a
half to four large loaves--just as the re-
ceipt book said, ma'am." "Well, now
we will not mind the book. Soak not
qsite half small cake of yeast; make
quart of sponge and put the yeast to it,
adding teaspoonful of salt and two
teaspoonfuls of granulated sugar, and in
the morning we will see what shall be
made with it," In the morning the
sponge was foaming, but rs sweet as a
rose. 1t was stirred down and piece of
butter half the size of an egg rubbed
into as much flour as would be needed
for four loaves, and put to the sponge.
A pint of warm, not hot, milk-and-
water was stirred to it, and the whole
well mixed with knife. When fully
combined, the mass was poured on to
the kneading-board and chopped about
five minutes with chopping knife,
kneading it together in a ball every
minute or two, as the chopping spread
it out. Then the whole was put into
the bread-bowl, well covered, and set
by the range-where no air could strike
it nor the draft from an open door blow
across it.
This was done a few minutes before
the breakfast was dished. BY the time
breakfast was disposed of the bread was
like puff-ball, and, taken on to the
bread-board, was divided into four
loaves, lightly nodded for three or four
minutes, put into well-buttered bake
pans, a very little butter rubbed over
the top and left to rise. In half an hour
it was light enough to put into the oven,
and by nine O'Clock in the morning four
golden loaves of as sweet and tender
bread as any one could desire were
taken from the oven and put aside to
cool. . ,-lts.
We give this as an example. If any
one is inclined to use it as q receipt we
think it will be found reliable.
If rolls or biscuits are needed for tea,
a bowlful of this dough may be taken
out, and two tablespoonful of butter
worked into it; set it to rise, well COW
cred and excluded from the air. When
light, mold it down, and set on the ice
until half or three-quarters of an hour
before tea. Then mold down again, roll
out, and cut in small biscuits, and put
into bake-pan. When light, bake. BE
sure and not scorch. If as much yeast
had been used as is too often done, the
dough would sour past sweetening be
fore tea-time; but when so small guam.
tity is taken there will be no danger oi
souring. The rolls or biscuits will
be more delicate if the dough is nodded
down for a minute every time it rise:
up, or whenever one has call to the
ice-chest before the time for baking.
Real, dainty bread can not be made in
large loaves. If the pans are about
twice the size of a brick they are quite
as large as desirable. When the dough
is put into the pan it ought not to be
more than two inches thick. When il
has raised to twice the size it was wher
put into the pan it is ready for the oven
In baking it will rise still higher, ant
if about five inches high when done, tha
is quite large enough.
In baking bread the oven should be
hot enough to prevent any further fer
mentation, but not SO hot as to begin t.
brown or bind the crust and prevent it.
rising any more. The oven must not bt
as hot when the bread is put in, or till i
it is half baked, as is necessary during
the last half of the baking.-MrS. II. W
Beecher, ii, Christian Uiiion. t