The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-08-12


NoN When made and baked just
right II is delicacy. But the making
and the baking of il are not easy and
a failure with mug bread is something
awful.
Perhaps the reader may not know
Il as mug-bread, for that was a local
name, confined largely 10 our own
Maine homestead and vicinity. II has
been called milk-yeast bread, patent
bread, milk-emptyings bread and salt
rising bread; and il has also been
stigmatized by several opprobrious and
offensive epthets, bestowed, ! am told,
by irate housewives who lacked the
skill and genius to make IT,
We named it mug-bread because
grandmother started it in an old pOr-
celain mug; tall. white, layender.and-
gold banded mug, that held more than
a quart but was sadly cracked, and,
for safety's sake, was wound just
above the handle with fine white silk
cord.
That mug was sixty eight years old
and that silk cord had been on II since
"Old Hannah ! suspect that the
Interstices OF this ancient silk string
were the lurking places Of that delight
ful yeast mcrobe that gave the flavor
10 the bread. For there was rarely n
failure when that mug was used.
About once in four days, generally Mt
night, grandmother would take two
anl Al f..Ia Of uaI s.,. -
boiled milk and half teaspoonful Of
salt, mix them we'll In that mug, and
set ii on q low mantel shelf. behind
the kitchen stove funnel, where IL
would keep uniformly warm overnight.
She covered in the top Of the mug with
an old tin coffee pot lid which just
fitted II.
When we saw Old Hannah 90 mp
there. we knew that some mug-brcad
was incubating. and, If all worked well,
would be due the following afternoon
for supper. For you cannot hurry
mug bread.
The next morning by breakfast time,
n peep into the mug would show
whether the little "eyes" had begun TO
open and peep UP out of the mixture
or not. Here was where housewifcly
skill came in. Those eyes must be
opened just so wide, and there must
be just so many of them, or else il
was not safe to proceed. II might be
better TO throw the setting away and
start new, or else To let IL stand till
noon. GRANDMOTHER knew as soon as
she had looked at Il.
II the omens were favorable. a cup
of warm water and n variable quantity
of carefully warmed flour were added
and n batter made of about the consist
ency for frltters. This was set behind
the funnel again TO rise till noon.
More flour was then added and the
dough carefully worked and set for
third rising About 3 o'clock it was
put in tins and baked in an even oven
The fayorite lodves with us were
"cartwhcels," formed by putting the
dough in large, round, shallow tin
plates, about foot in diameter When
baked, the yellow-br crackery loaf
was only an inch and half or two
inches thick. The rule at grandmoth.
er's table was n "cart-whcc" TO n boy.
with all the fresh Jersey butter and
canned fruit or berries that he wanted
with IL.
Sometimes, however, the mug would
disappear rather suddenly i'm the morn
Ing. and an odor MS of sulphuretcd hy-
drogen would linger about, till the
Kitchen windows were raised ana the
fresh west wind admitted.
That meant that n failure had oc-
Cured; the wrong microbe had OBJ
talned possession of the mug
In such cases grandmother acted
promptly and said little. She was al
ways reticcnt concerning mug bread.
IT had unspeakable contingencies
Our girl cousins, Ellen and Theodore.
who lived at the old homestead with
us shared grandmother's rcticencc.
Ellen, in fact, could never be persuaded
10 eat il, good as il was.
IL know too much about IT," she
would say. at isn't nice"
Beyond doubt, when mug.bread goes
nstray at about the second rising the
consequences are depressing.
If its little eyes fail TO open and the
batter takes on a greasy aspect. with
tendency TO crawl and glide about, no
time should be lost. Open all the win.
dows at once and send the batter
promptly 10 the swill-barrel. It is use
less TO daily with il. You will be sorry
If ;ou do. When IL goes wrong IL is
utterly depraved.
| remember an experience which
Theodore and Ellen had with mug
bread on one occasion. when grand.
mother was away from home. Aunt
Nabbie and Uncle Pascal Mowbray
came on from Philadelphia, while she
and grandfather were gone.
Aunt Nabbie was grandmother's sis
Ter, and she and Uncle Mowbray had
been talking all that season OF coming
10 visit us. But September had usually
been spoken of as the time they were
coming.
They changed, their minds. however.
Uncle Pascal desired 10 look after some
business venture Of his i'm Portland.
and decided TO come In August.
IL was somewhat sudden change Of
plan, but they sent us letter The day
before they started. thinking that we
should get u and meet them at the rail
way station.
Now. all dear city cousins. aunts
uncles and the rest OF you who visit
y0nr couI.fy relatives W.ator or sun.