The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-11-19

: Il pint OF -four, half pint OF cold or
iukewarm water and two tablespoonfuls OF |
white sugar. Beat this mixture briskly for |
five or ten minutes, or until bubbles begin |
TO appear; then stir in half cake OF COM
pressed yeast, dissolved IN one-fourth of |
cup OF water Cor use half cup OF good |
homemade yeast) set away to rise in |
warm place. The pail should be carefully |
covered so as to exclude dust and air, aRd |
the sponge should, If possible, rise for five or |
six hours. BY this time it should have in
creased in bulk nearly four times Very
fair bread may be made with sponge which
has only doubled in size.)
II all things have gone we'll the sponge
will be ready for you to make up the bread
at about o'clock in the evening. large
mixing bowl OF earthenware is perhaps best
for this purpose, though many use large
tin dish-pan or wooden tray. Whatever you
do use should be kept for bread only, aud
be kept scrupulously clean. Into this mix
ing dish" sift four quarts Of -four, eight ia
blespoonfuls of white sugar and one table
spoonful of SALT rub fine in this four table
spoonfuls OF fresh lard or butter, using
wooden spoon, choppiDg knife or the hands,
and add the risen sponge and as much of
the three pints of water as may be needed to
make the dough, which must be kneaded
for three-1uarters of an hour, the longer aud
moIs thorough the kneading the finer will
be the grain Of the bread.
There are several ways OF kneading-in-
deed, nearly as many Ways as there are
| breadmakers. The means employed are of
no great importance, so long as the desired
object is attained, namely. the thorough
mixture OF the various ingredients, with the
addition of IS much air during the process
as is possible Perhaps the easiest way to Sc
cure good result is this: Flour bread or
| molding board lightly; -four the hands also;
turn the dough out of the mixing bowl in as
compact a mass as possible; -four the top OF
/ il lightly and then with the palms of both
hands press down upon the dough, aud at
the same time push it q little away from you,
bringing the whole mass back 10 its original
place by a clawing motion with the ends OF
the fingers. This rocking" motion is the Sc
cret of successful kneadlng. A few such
kneadings will turn the ball of dough with
which you began into long and mar
row roll, with q fold running down the
length of it; this must be turned at right
angles to its former position, keeping the
fold on top, and this operation repeated as
often as the kneading shall render it neces.
saIy. The reason for keeping the fold on
top is that by il the air is introduced into
the dough. esch fold imprisoning fresh
supply, which it is the kneader's object, of
course, to work into, not out OF, the dough
Elasticity Is the main requirement of good
kneading. Care must be taken to prevent
the dough from sticking to the board; very
little flour will be needed for this Ii the
kneader is aforementioned. liz the dough
does stick pull it up and off the board with
quick motion. This generally leaves the
board free and ready for fresh busting: but
if by any chance some dough should still ad-
here carefully scrape it from the board with
dull knife before attempting to -four the
board. These scraps are very good chicken
feed, but must never be put back into the
bread.
1t is better, we think, 10 use too much
flour in learning to kRead bread than too
little. The beginner is terribly discouraged
by Thoroughbred stick ON the part Of the
dough. and a very few experiments will
show her that being quick in her motions
and using very little -four often she can ar
rive at precisely the same result as when she
Uses the quantity of -four. and her bread will
. be tender Instead OF stiff and dry. When
then dough has been kneaded enough the
whole mass will be smooth of surface elastic
to the touch, and VIII have gotten over its
tendency to stick to everything. The dough
should then be set away for the night in a
elCseJy-coveTed bowl or crock, the sides and
bottom OF which have been we'll creased, and
which is sufficiently large to admit of the
contents more than doubling in size. Many
grease the top of the dough; this prevents q
crust forming over it, which must other wise
be removed next morning.
The temperature most favorable to bread
at this stage of its existence has been found
to be 7So F., at which temperature it should
remain about eight hours. Avoid any
dTaught of air upon the bread jar, and if
the IOOln where IL Is 10 pass the night Is
likely to become very much colder before
morning wrap the jar in blanket, or have
a "cozy" for Il, as you have COR should have
for your teapot. The temperature of the
mass should not fall below 4j0 F. II the
thern ometer register more than 7So the
bread will rise quicker; if less, more slowly
than the time mentioned above.
Bread should always have a linen cloth
under the wooden or metal cover, and the
linen of this cloth sho1ld be smooth OF sur.
face so that if the dough by any chance
should rise sgainst it it may easily be de-
tacbed. The sort of linen known as 'gtass
cresh" is excellent for this purpose.
AT five or half past five next morning The
bread should be ready for its second rising.
The bIead-board should be lightly busted
with -four ditto the hands, aud the light,
spoEgy mass which the bread jar now con-
tairs TUNED out upon it to be subjected to
five or ten minutes kneading such as it re.
ceived yesterday, at the end OF which time il
will be ready to be nodded" into roofs and
leaves. For the former cut from the dough
bit the size Of a large egg, las, it in the
fingers of the right hand gather up and tuck
in the ends, turning the lump as you do So
and making of the followed palm mold
which gives you presently a smooth bemis-
pheIe. Place this in a wellgreased biscuit
pan, and repeat the operation until you
have as many rolls as you want. Be careful
that they do not touch in the pan, and when
all are in, grease the tops. This will prevent
their forming a crust in rising and insure
the beautiful tender, brown crust, when
baked, which is at once the pride of the
cook and the delight of all who eat her
bread
Butter, milk or lard may be used to grease
the tops, bat the butter or milk win M AXE
the bread brown too quickly, and the crust
will become stiff and bur1 very readily;
fresh, sweet lard, is far better for this "a it
is, indeed, wherever shortening is used 10
bread than anything else.
Loaves are made up very much in the
same way as rolls, the size being regulated
by that of the pans used for baking, which
should be about hali.filed by the lugh
when first put in. They should rise about
an hour before baking, whilst rolls III list
rise longer time, and for this reason: The
heat OF the oven very quickly psnetrates the
roll and checks the growth of the yeast plant,
whereas in The loaf it takes some time for
the heat to penetrate; loaf, therefore, rises
more in proportion to its size, after going
into the oven, than does the roll.
Bread bakes best at temperature of from
400 to 500 f., or when q teaspoonful oil
-four will brown in two minutes if spreld on