The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-04-18
HOUSEHOLD MATTERS.
Some Hints on Bread-Making.

Some Hints on Breao-bdakAnk'
When Lena came to US, the mother
friend who sent her wrote: Don't med
die with her bread-making till you sec
what she can do" This accorded with
a motto of my own: "Results, not meth
ods," but the baking of bread had al
ways seemed to me too important mat
ter to be left entirely in a servants care.
Nevertheless, mindful of this injunction,
I kept resolutely away from the kitchen
on baking day, and went to the supper
table with an apprehensive heart.
Good bread is the one indispensable
article in my household creed. I had
been trained in the school of old.fash.
ioned bread making, whose methods yet
fill the pages of our cook books begin
ming with this formula: -,
''Sift two quarts of -four; make hole
in the centre for your sponge. Take ono
pint warm water, gill of yeast, little
salt, stir to thick batter, being careful
to leave the sponge surrounded by -four!
and set in warm place" ...... ri
This makes q light, sweet, porous
bread, somewhat Similar to Laker's,
bread, but free from chemical impurities,
I learned to whiten it by adding in the
morning cup of new milk. With all
my care, however, there would be un-
even streaks in the loaves, caused by the
-four surrounding the sponge drying
unequally.
Lena's bread, on this eventful evening,
surprised me by its cake-like quality,
fine, sweet, firm and perfectly blended.
Afterwards watched her while making
bread and learned the secret of her
method. ..... ..
A quart of warm water or milk is first
put into the pan with tablespoonful
of butter, another of sugar, cup of
yeast and little salt. The -four is sifted
and is stirred in gradually, and when the
batter is sufficiently thick no flour is
spread over it to become dry and crusty
before morning. Another principle OF
the new method is that with bread, as
with cake, too much -four makes tho
compound dry and tasteless, and bread
made by the rule, 'mix until it will not
stick to the board" will become stale
much sooner than that which is mixed
more lightly and softly.
I found, too, that my yeast made BY
my mothers rule, soured sooner than
Lena's and I soon saw the explanation
I boiled my potatoes, mashed with them
a tablespoonful of -four and poured over
the boiling potato water in which I had
meanwhile scalded q handful of hops
This scalded the -four but did not cook
it thoroughly. Lena grated her potatoes
| into Quart of boiling water, sifted into
the mixture two tablespoonfuls OF fouri
added the water in which handful OF
hops had been boiled, half cup of sugar
and little salt, and allowed it to cook
for ten or fifteen minutes, stirring fre-
quently before adding the. yeast. By
this process the flour was thoroughly
cooked and the yeast would keep for
| weeks. ,.......-. as<EA
The time of Lena's reign was house,
hold jubilee. Such tempting rolls as size
prepared for our tea-table; such spongy
dumplings with our stews; ortheir apple
eonjreres for desserts; such light, faky
steamed puddings with this tender bread
sponge for cover and apples, berries
peaches, or jellies for lining. Really, it
seemed as if this marvellous breadmake
could change the lifeless dough into
nothing that was not tempting and tooth
some. Her resignation, to take an in
cumbrance in the shape of husband,
brought woe and wailing into the house
hold, and we have quite decided that
we shall never look upon her like again.
-DaughterS of america. -...-.