Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-06-03

Dlrccsions for making which should
be Caemr 90 n Novice.
The following is by Catherine Owen in
Good Housekeeping for May 29th:
First let me say what / consider good
bread. for there ID much diveraity of
opinion on the subject, promising that,
having once attained to the making Of a |
perfect loaf, If your particular family like |
Il closer or more porous, it is easy to IN
dulge them and yet have good bread
My ideal loaf, then, is light, white and
tender, Of an even, porous character, the
holes all very small, yet not really close
sort of dense lightness, like good sponge
calse~-the crust thin and crisp and some
thing the color Of pitch pine.
TO any one making bread for the first
time I would say, make very little-two
ionvea IL by chance you spoil IL, though
a don't think you will, the loss is not
great and the work has been Light
How 20 produce these two perfect
loayes ia the easieHt and best way;
Take a seant quart of water as warm as
milk from the COW, dissolve in II half
cake of compressed yeast and a teaspoon
full of salt. Have ready warmed two
quarts OF flour, full measure. Make q
=sbole la the centre OF the flour, see that
tIe yeast is thoroughly dissolved in the
~ai or, pour 1t into the hole, working the
flnur gradually into 1t with the right hand;
ssi,en mixed, this will be q soft dough il
100 soft TO work, sprinkle little flour
from dredger, and knead it, but always
ilha as little M possible to knend with.
At FIRST, to q novice, il may seem sticky
and rather unmanageable, but by degrees,
always working from the sides towards
the centre, the rough mass will become
smooth and no longer stick to the hands
or bowl
The movement in lneading is difficult
TO describe, yet will make the attempt,
because, in the course of q great many
lessons in bread-making, find such
varied understanding of the word. Some
take the tips of their fingers and believe
they arc thoroughly mixing the bread,
while an hour of such handling will not
produce the smooth, plastic mass that 10
minutes proper work would do; Others
simply pound and punch it, which does
notchange the poaition of the dough at all.
In kneading the small quantity of dough
have given, one hand is enough, with
the other steady the bowl; double your
fist and plunge it on the side of the dough
fartheat from you, bring ii over, with pres
sure and a turn of the wrist, towards the
middle; keep ON doing this until the
dough Il smooth it will take about II
Minutes. Set it to rise in warm place
covered with cloth if in summer fol
two hours, or less, in winter it will take
about four hours. II is light enough Il
work over when there is sign Of crack
inqand the whole when pulled looks full Of
very small holes. If the holesare allowedt Il
become large like froth or coarse sponge
II will be too light, and the bread, though
IL may not be sour, will be dry and TASTE
husky the second day. "Let it rise til
double its bulk" is perhaps the
best rule for beginner. When il
is double the bulk knead it again as thor
oughly as you did the first time. Now, i
YOU are pressed for time after this knead
ing, divide the dough, put it into two
well CREASED pans and set 1t again to rise
This bread will be excellent, but if, in
stead of putting it into the pans after thi
second kneadiDg, you let it rise again
then work it thoroughly and put il in tn
pans, il will repay the extra trouble b,
being winter and of a finer texture. Ate
the bread is in the pans, each loaf SHOULD
be allowed TO rise TO twice the size it wa
when put in, but by no means allow it L
get beyond this after this, alldependso OF
the oven.
Many bake bread slowly, leaving il il
the oven a long time; this causes thick
hard crust In modern iron ovens quic
baking is necessary. Let the oven b
quite hot; hold your hand in it, if yo
can bear to keep it there longer than
takes you TO count 25 deliberately, il
not hot enough, yet if you have to with
draw it before 90 il is too hot and you
bread will be spoilt. 1t is better to mar
age SO that your oven waits for the breai
rather than the bread for the oven, but
by any chance the bread is light enoug
to bake before your oven is ready an
thus in danger of getting too porou
work it down thoroughly with your han
and let it rise again.
A small loaf, and by all means NAL
them small until You have gained exper
ence, will not take more than tire
quarters of an hour to bake, if your owe
Is good one. When of q nice yello
brown take it out, turn it out of the t
on to q cloth or sieve, tap the bottom,
TINT is brown and crisp and smells cooke
it need remain no longer. If from fau
of your oven il be not brown, but whit
and soft, set it back in the oven, botto
upwards. An oven, however, that do
not back we'll at the bottom will be like
to spoil your bread. This is usual
caused by careless servant leaving
collection of ashes underneath it. Salts
yourself that all the fiues are clean befc
beginning to bake; if then it refuses
do its duty, have it examined by a blac
smith or change it, for you cannot CO
anything properly in a bad range,
which, however, there are very few
rightly managed.
think you will find the bread y
have made, white, evenly porous Il
with small holes here and caverns thei
If this is the case you have made yC
dough too stiff and it is not sufficien
kneaded), and with thin, crisp crust.