The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-03-05
SECRETS OF THE. BAKERY.
WHAT BECOMES OF THE LEFTOVER
TREAD AND PASTRY?
Various Uses to Which Old Stock Is APP
plied-Methods Adopted by First-Class
Restaurateurs-Risks the Baker Must
Assume-Floating Trade.

What becomes of the old bread and pastry
that must accumulate in every baker-shop.
is question oftener raised than answered
The idea prevalent that the leftover" stock
is soaked and used in the leaven for another
days batch is not only erroneous, but derided
by every baker who has touch of caustic in
his makeup. .--~-
In the largest bakeries, where the city
hotels, lunch-counters private boarding
houses, and restaurants get their supplies, an
exclusive order is catered to- and the clIlcula-
tions are SO close that lap of loaf rarely
occurs. In a firm where 1000 or l. 400 dozen
loaves and 100 pans of five dozen rolls each
are turned out daily some very nice figuring
has to be done in order to make what the
kneaders call a clean sweep. With the retail
bakers the case is different. Every firm has
at least one day in the week when the supply
has to double the average daily demand.
RISKS BAKER MUST ASSUME.
Uptown. in the resident quarters, Monday
is the big day, the Friday and Saturday bake
having been consumed Sunday, and the fam
lily washing materially interferes with hot
bread or pancakes. Wednesday is shopping
day, and Saturday being a sort of general
recreation day, a run is made on the down
town cafes and restaurants, and twice the
usual amount of bread, rolls, Sally Lund
tarts, cakes and pies is necessary to meet the
custom. There are hundred risks to be as
sumed in anticipating this transient trade,
and if the crowd does not materiaize the mer
chant finds his bread boxes and showcases
still full when business closes. The daily
bake goes on, for it does not take him great
while to understand that the public is pet
ulant customer and will not nibble stale
bread or crustyrolls.
Between 5 and a. m. the ovens yield uI
their nice brown blocks and twists of bread,
snowy buns and crisp rusks, and to make
room for them the residue of the previous day
is condemned TO side-counters, for which
every shop has its regular customers. Pret.
zels and pies are held over, the former indef-
nitely and the latter some thirty-six hours.
Bread day old and rolls and cookies OF
eighteen hours are unstable to tirst-class Gus
toners, but the charity trade is so large and
SO urgent that in r1idwinter many well-to-dt
bakers are moved by pity to cater to it,
wants.
Nuns from charitable institutions, matrom
of asy1ums, and overseers of industrial schools.
nurseries, and kindred eleemosynary houses
constitute regular and reliable patronage.
each of which levies ON two or more Of these
downtown restaurants
STRUGGLING POOR AND SHABBY GENTEEL.
The floating trade is given equal chances
with its larger though equally unfortunate
rival, and none or few of the early breakfast
ers have any idea of the poor, patient, hungry
mortals who have preceded them. In this
procession, which comes and is gone before
o'clock every morning in the year, one sees
poor, pale seanstresses, shabby but respect
able men. peuurious Dutch, Swedes, and
Poles, laborers and clerks of every nation
ality, and both sexes, who stow away theiI
purchases in the empty dinner can or lun
cheon-box. while the sot, student, boot black,
ana ne wsboy joggle one another at the coun-
ter at which are piled doughnuts, lady fingers
turn-overs, and Martha Washingtons.
Struggling housekeepers, women who try to
support themselves keeping boarders and
others who have to subordinate everything to
economy, never buy fresh goods, and indeed
need not suffer any privation if they only
know how to manipulate the old. Bread that
can not be steamed will work over as toast,
custard fries, and puddings, and there is nc
roll too old to be rejuvenated if one knows how
use steamer. Although the writer may be
branded as traitor, it may be interesting te
the readers to know that the restaurateur who
serves the most delicious rolls in Chicago,
makes them out of old goods bought from
every baker who has any left over. When
customer calls for fresh rolls couple of the
articles, hard enough to dent turnip, are
thrown into a steamer When thoroughly
moistened they are put in a hot oven and al
lowed to partially dry. In three minutes
nice white d'oyley is wrapped over them tc
keep the steam in, and when they melt in Mr..
Jenkins mouth under lump of butter the
order will be repeated. Inter Ocean.