, 1885-01-20

AnnA I|A@
New York Tribune.l
A fair and practical B~ostonian thus replies
10 "a Houseksopsr's Suggestions"
-Rnading the article thus headed has
thrown me into a train Of thought, which
almost any woman with a moderate expert.
ence in life could hardly fan TO drop into.
Why any one who has been busy since last
summer in making the broad needed in a
family of any slze could fail to solve that
problem l am unable TO comprehend !
was taught TO make bread many years ago,
by a grandmother who was a lady OF the
olden time. life OF happiness, and. much
OF tho time, Of prosperity. 10 filed my days
that my bread knowledge was not called In
question for many years, except TO name the
faults / would find with Il IL we made a
change of coeks and tho texture varied
"At last a change came for me In life, and
to help keep our home i received a few
young ladies into Il FOR educational purposes.
With a good deal OF the practical about me,
/ soon decided that those girls should have
added 10 their studies as much OF n knowl-
edge Of cooking Us I could crowd in without
too great a pressure. The first stop was
bread making, and from Jan. / until they
went homo in June they made all the.bread
we used, each taking n week There wore
-four Of them, and every morning during
those months we had, "a had, always been a
habit. warm rolls on the table as well as cold
bread. 1 cannot recall the loss OF one
batch OF bread from any cause, or poor
bread during that tims. Previous to this
time l had taken some charge OF bread N.Y.
self, as il had seemed wise to train less OK
pensive servants than we formerly employed.
This gave mo fresh experience.
at was our never-failing hot homemade
rolls that inspired the girls with a desire to
excel in that line, and the work was volun-
tary with them, not required. Soon. how
ever, there was u strife as to which did ex-
eel. / always was suro what the result
would be, because rules acquired by observa-
ton were held to. The average heat OF a
kitchen during hours when a good fire is in
use, can soon be learned. Compressed yeast
Is far quicker In It's effects than old fashioned
yeast, and as that was used we could count ac-
curately upon results. About o p, m. a
sponge was set with two quarts of all milk,
and half water, as the case might be. Flour
was siftod in n deep bowl, tho milk luke
warm, in a little Of the hot water was
melted a tablespoonful OF butter, a small ta-
blespoonful OF sugar, and an even teaspoonful
OF salt In the confer Of tho sifted -four this
was stirred until enough was wet for a
sponge. Tn yeast added, two hours later
tho sponge was light and the bread kneaded,
a work of but n few moments. i always sat
by the table to suggest from time to time.
AUST before retiring, after IN hour or
more with studies, say 0 p. m, two small
pans, holding eight or ten rolls each, lsere.
buttered and filled. The rolls made loss than
half the size wished when baked. to allow for
rising, and consequently placed some dis
taucs apart These pans were placed in the
ice-chest, or in the store-room II freezing
weather. The cook merely had to tako them
TO the kitchen in the morning, and while her
oven WINS heating tho warmth of the
kitchen would soon bring the rolls to the
exnct condition for baking. The remaining
dough was kept on Ice, or below
freezing-point and usol for a night or
two. Bread once light cannot be made heavy
or injured by cold, neither need it be sour.
l never used an atom OF soda to sweeten sour
bread. These ideas are given for winter use.
Spring and summer heat requires a change
OF hours. l had never failed in securing
good bread from servants, but l do make 1t
n rule to give per.onal attention to It for a
month, and the habits thus formed remain.
| don't mean by this That | make II, for / do
not, but ! ait by and ave all done carefully.
"Now about the oven, as the best bread
can be spoiled there; 1t must be a habit to
brush out all the places where ashes eau col
lect at least once u week. An ordinary slzed
loaf OF bread requires about an hour to bake.
Coal should never be heaped to the lids, as
the oven does not heat as well; evenly filed
as hi h as tho friedrich Is enough; hampers
adjusted, time watched, and rolls are ready
In twenty minutes; bread from an hour
10 an hour and a half, depending upon
the quicltness Of oven. No machine need
be invented TO take tho place OF common
sense. and that, In full exercise with n per-
sou who Is methodical, solves the promlem.
Your bread under such culture will run as
regularly as your clock. providing that these
conditions are In force. 1t is natural to try
an oven with the hand, but raising the lid of
a range will tell me any moment whether
that Is n Ere l can bake with or not, and
just how long l can rely upon 1t, for It is
better not to add coal during the process of
baking