The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-12-19

mixed with sweet milk instead OF water
and that is all the difference. TIL,
Eureka bread has apound of lard and :
pound and quarter of sugar to ever,
100 pounds of flour, and that, and the
facilities we have for high, even tenn.
perature in baking. make all the diff.
ference there is. We use pound Of
compressed yeast to $50 of flour in
setting the sponge. A great deal. OF
course. depends on the yeast. If that
is not first class you may as well throw
up the sponge at once.
'1n making rolls, they are placed in
a steam-box and made to rise twice as
fast. The rolls are not weighed, but
guessed at. A man makes one in each
hand, and you may see him pick a
piece off one, and add it to the other,
to get them about the same size. Our
brown bread we bake in pals for two
and one-half hours. 1t has corn.
graham, and rye flour in it. Rye bread
we raise with a little salt-no Yeast.
The Vienna and rye loaves are raised
In cloths, without pans, and are baked
right on the bottom of the oven.
A visit to the cake. pie, and turnover
department was not less interesting.
These viands are all made by hand
except that the eggs are beaten by a
machine. Out of one dough mixture as
foundation half dozen different sorts
of cake may be made by the addition of
some slight ingredient But the science
comes in knowing ''what kind of an
oven, as women say. to use for each
variety. The decorative material is
ordinary frosting. made out of pulver-
lied white sugar and eggs, with enough
acid, lemon. or cream of tartar to cut
the grain off the sugar. The frosting is
put into cloth or rubber bag and
squeezed out through tube, Just
as the paints with which PLAQUES
and landscapes are evolved. There is an
endless variety OF tubes through which
stars and carriers and different STYLES of
posies and foliage are squeezed. The
finer work, however, such as the tracing
OF vines, birds, and other elaborate
patterns, is done with minute tracing
tube, and gives room for real freehand
drawing rather than mechanical execu-
ton. The more elaborate solid pieces,
such as wedding bells, horseshoes, COO
ing doves. and palpitating hearts, which
surmount the most pretentious table
architecture, are made of gum paste.
and are not edible. so the foreman OF
the cake department said. They are
imported from Italy along with organ
grinding and macaroni.
What is the work of an apprentice
ct the bakers .art?"
''Well, he begins by sweeping up the
floor, washing dishes. and doing odd
Jobs OF any sort. Then he dusts the
turnovers with powdered sugar, or beats
The eggs, or paints over the loaves be-
tore they 60 into the oven-anything
Tor which he is needed. If he is ant
and industrious he ought to know his
business pretty well in three or four
Years; but it is trade:in which there is
Always something new to be learned.
md there is wonderful facility to be
gained in practice
The cracker factory, which is an i'm
nense business in itself, was vet to be
Inspected. While the bread, cakes and
'les go to feed hungry Minneapolitans
'nly, the crackers are largely shipped
o supply outside demands.
The process of cracker making was
ound to be more mechanical and less
reehand than bread. pie or cake max.
ng. Winter wheat is used exclusively.
made from spring sown wheat
re tough and springy. The cracker
PONCE is set over night in an immense
rough. and is worked the next morn
~ through a patent screw mixer.
ne dough comes out in round columns
bout foot through, and is DUMPED
ack two or three times until it is we'll
headed. Then it is sent down THROUGH
chute in the floor to the platform.
ON which it is fed in sections to three
pliers, one after another. The piece
passed under each one several times.
nd the rollers are so graded that the
ough gradually thins and lengtbens
ut as it proceeds. 1t finally passes
ITO what is called the FORM" which
stermines the width of the strip Of
'ugh. This strip is then started upon
canvas revolving belt. over which is a {
rye revolving bush, which constantly Y
lists Hour upon it. Two or three feet
rther on the dough comes under the
amp operated also by machinery, and
9 crackers are given any one of the II
'zens OF shapes known to the trade +
ID families. II it is the usual square
da cracker. there will be five in a row. Il
d the strip. of course. is endless as
ng as the dough holds out. As they b
lerge from under the stamp a bow
lnds ready with a sort of very thin p
'oden shovel, without raised edges. II,
d with handle several feet long. a. a.
q with this instrument called a 70 70
EEL" ne takes off a section about u
rec feet long, which he dexterously W
Us with twist of the wrist into the OF
en-, or rather upon one of the inn
nse revolving iron shelves which are ar
attained in the oven. These shelves re
about three feet wide and ff-
n feet long, and one revolution
yes to bake the crackers a delicate
'wn. AS they come up done,
,ther boy stands with rake
hauls them unceremoniously into