The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-06-18
BREAD, AND HOW TO MAKE 1T

bed, by some a~ppreclatlVe man, the walk
ing-stick of existence"
We can excuse almost anything better
than a failure of bread, when we sit down
to a meal hungry. If everything else is a
success, it becomes well nigh a failure if
the bread is heavy, or sour, or clammy.
This is simply inexcusable, for ven the
most inexperienced-for, althou Oh imam
cannot live by bread alone" he is not 60
ing to starve, or suffer from indigestion,
as long as he has good bread and plenty
of it.
Seeing how absolutely important this is,
it remains a remarkable and ~deplorable
fact that the most of house keepers are
sadly deficient in the conplishment OF
bread-making. 1 know a certain model
Observation-Disclosures roasts are lrreproacs1-
able. and whose desserts are elegant an |
delightful, but, she says, with a sign o.
Indifferent apology, II never could Sue
ceed with bread"
If she only knew what cruel agon1es AZ
dyspepsia one of her guests bore aw"y,
under a soggy biscuit, a humane pi~AT
would have prompted her to master the
art of making good, wholesome bread.
Her husband was a very cross-looklng
man, | thought, and her children-whac
pretty and intelligent, and beautifully
dressed, were tussy and delicate.
No woLder, if they had to eat soeg
bread every day!
In my estimation it amounts to a pos
tive crime for a house-keeper to allow
such bread placed on her table, to ruin the
digestions of her husband and children.
One cannot help feeling cross, and blue
and out of sorts, if sour bread is the
stomoch's companion.
1t will make the children kick the cover
off at night, and cry, and toss about-and
the "gude man" snore, and have night
mare, if he sleeps at all-and make the
poor mother wakeful, or terrify her with
frightful dreamS-yet she is all uncon-
scious of the cause of it'll
This is as true as gospel, and in nine
cases out of ten, if you'll trace back these
family disorders, you'll find they are due,
principally or wholly, to bad bread.
The two important demands for bread
are, that it shall be wholesome, and that
there shall be a variety of it; and just here
l want to give my protest against the mo-
n~otonous biscuit.
| know dozens of families in which bis
cults are an ever-present necessitY-bis-
cults for breakfast; biscuits for dinner; bis
cults for supper-biscuits, biscuits, bis
cults!
They never seem to think there is any
other variety of bread than this, a vile
compound of four-often not the best
lard, and something to swell it up, water
or milk sufficient to stick it all together,
hastily mixed, without proper kneading-
which should always be a redeeming
shapes, and showed into the oven, there to
itself to the heat it may
find.
Perhaps they may come put o~verdone,
UNDERGONE, and these make the princi-
pal dish on the table!
They may be green with soda, brittle
and greasy with lard, dry as ashes with
baking powder, or clammy from the want
of proper cooking, but they are eaten-
from either necessity or ignorance, or
both.
If one prefers biscuits, pray, have them
wholesome. There is but one kind of
perfectly wholesome, harmless, and de-
lightful biscuits-called by various n4mes,
but known in the South as the "beaten
biscuit" Make them properly, and you
will never want better bread.
Of course the best -four must always be
used, both for health and nice, successful
bread; butter and milk are preferred to
lard and water, but the last mentioned
will answer.
Beaten Biscuits.
l quart of fou-.
l tablespoonful lard Cor butter.)
] teaspoonful fine salt.
Mix all together with sweet milk, OF
cold water, to as stiff a dough as can be
handled, then beat, beat, beat, till the
dough pops and blisters, and becomes soft
and pliable.
Roll out half an inch thick, cut, and
prick with a fork, and bake in a moder-
ately hot oven to q delicate brown, and
you have the queen of all biscuits.
These are especially nice for travellers,
as they will keep and be good for a week
or longer, but the secret of the success
and healthfulness is in thorough beating,
which should be done on a stone or mar
bic slab, with a rolling-pin, wooden NAL
let, or bran new hammer, used only fer
this purpose.
Beaten Crackers.
A little more butter or lard added to
the above, and rolled quite thin after
thorough beating, cut square, pricked
with a fork, and baked in a hot oven, and
you have crisp delightful crackers.
Pu6S.
Same directions as above, only do not
prick, and they will puff up. Cut these
rN17n6 about oc Havoc o. -
serve in cake-stands or baskets.
TeG-cakeS.
l quart of -four.
l tablespoonful of butter.
2 tablespoonful sugar.
l egg (well beaten.1
Mix all together to a stiff dough, and
beat as above directed, roll and cut like
biscuits (haVing used any 1avoring desired)
and you have a teacake that will melt in
your mouth
Thn 49, L-A l- -