Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-11-29
Facts About Bread.

-four barrel first comes home from the
grocer, make dough from handful OF
the -four by making hole in 1t with her
finger, pouring in water little at time
and mixing 1t gradually until 1t can be
worked without sticking. Then let her
observe the color Of this carefully. II a
creamy white it 10 all right, but if gray
in tint or IL 1t shows q tendency to
for it will never make good bread. She
should also notice when working the
small piece of dough In her fingers
whether it shows elasticity the more it is
worked for that is the most important
essential for good loaf of bread. Should
the dough, after being thoroughly work
ed, lack this quality when it is gently
pulled as one would piece of rubber, it
should never be used for bread-making.
1t is the glutinous property which gives
the -four it's greatest value, the gases
generated by the yeast escape, aud the
bread is tasteless and generally heavy
when this element is lacking.
A good bread -four will never make
good pastry, as pastry flour should
possess just the opposite qualities.
After The careful selection of your flour,
if the following simple rule for bread
making is observed, the result cannot
fail to be satisfactory:
BREAD.
Take two medium sized potatoes and
boil them in about pint Of water until
they fall in pieces, then stir them in the
water until they are thoroughly mixed
through it, and add this to the quantity
of slightly warmed water necessary to
mix your bread. Sift three quarts Of
flour and add q good handful of salt,
which should be thoroughly worked
through the -four before the yeast and
water are added. Take one compressed
yeast cake and dissolve it in cup Of
lukewarm water; then mix this thor
oughly with the -four before putting in
the water, which should be added slow
~, working the dough away from the
sides of the pan and always toward the
middle. The dough should be mixed as
moist as possible, taking only enough
-four to keep the hands free and the
dough from sticking to the pan.
Too much care cannot be given to the
proper kneading of the bread. Cooks
and housewives are apt to consider this
an unnecessary expenditure of time and
strength when in reality it is the most
essential part of the breadmaking. So
the housewife cannot be too particular
about the thorough working of the
dough, and if the bread comes to the
table spongy and tasteless or full of hard
Jumps of flour, she can be sure that 1t
| has been made carelessly and without
proper kneading.
After the dough is mixed 1t should be
left in warm place to rise overnight, 80
the best time for mixing the bread is in
the evening. In warm weather it should
have a light covering thrown over it,,
and be kept in an even temperature not
| near fire; but in cold weather it should
be we'll covered and allowed to stand by
fire where the heat will remain steady
all night. The first thing in the morn
ing the dough should be worked over
again by gently stirring it away from the
sides of the pan with the hands and then
allowed to rise once more. Usually by
the time breakfast is ready the bread
will be light enough to be worked over
for the last time aud placed in the pans,
where it should rise again before 1t Is
ready to bake.
Another very important thing for the
production of good bread is a hot oven.
Bread should bake quickly and evenly,
and as this depends upon the heat of the
oven, no absolute rule can be followed,
aud the breadmaker must use her own
good Judgment. The oven should be
very hot when the bread is first placed
in it, and must be allowed to cool grad
ually; if this rule is followed the bread
should bake in about thirty-ive or forty
minutes. 1t is well to use separate
pan for each loaf, 50 they can be turned
over in the pans, and bake with a brown
crust on the sides and bottom as we'll as
the top.
| There are innumerable kinds of bis
cults and hot bread, which can be made
for breakfast or luncheon, from the
bread dough, by taking some of the
dough out of the pan before it is worked
over in the morning. Of these, bread
biscuit are the most easily prepared,
and there are few housekeepers who
do not understand the making of this
simple but universal accompaniment to
the morning meal.
| BISCUITS.
One quart bowl of dough will make a
large pan of biscuits. If these are de-
sired for breakfast the dough should be
taken from the pan the first thing in the
morning and placed on the bread board,
then instead of working it with the
hands, take the rolling pin and pound
the dough hard for about five minutes,
doubling it over several times. The
dough for each biscuit should then be
pulled off with the fingers and worked
over in the hands until each one is the
proper size. Take large pan IA "drip-
ping pan" ia the best, sprinkle it with
flour, to prevent the biscuits sticking,
and after placing them in it, stand the
pan near the fire for about ten minutes
before putting it in the oven.
Breakfast rolls can be prepared and
baked in very much the same way, only
the dough for each of these should be
patted out flat on the bread board with
the hand and small piece of butter
folded in.
| WHOLE WHEAT BREAD.
Into a cupful of lukewarm milk break
up one yeast cake, add one teaspoonful
| of sugar, aud set in a warm place until
the yeast floats on top. Put one quart
of whole wheat flour in bowl, add one
teaspoonful of salt and three tablespoon.
fuls of sugar Gf too sweet, use less
Make hollow in the center of the flour,
put in the yeast, and one cupful of luke
warm milk; stir all to a thick batter
with a spoon. Pour over one gill OF
warm milk, cover and let stand until
very light, then add enough wheat flour
to work 1t into smooth, firm dough
now put it on Toured board and work
until it does not stick to the hands. Put
into the pans, filing only about one-half
full, cover and then stand until the
dough has risen to the top of the pans.
Put in medium hot oven and bake from
one to one aud one quarter hours.
SWEDISH ROLLS.
Two cupfuls OF sweet milk, one egg, a
little salt, a quarter of cupful of sugar
and half a yeast cake (dissolved.) Stir
these ingredients together and add -four
enough to make thin batter. Let it
rise. Turn out on the board and cut into
strips, roll up and let rise again. Bake
twenty-five minutes.
OATMEAL GEMS.
Two oupfuls of oatmeal and one and a
half cupfuls of sour milk; let this stand
overnight, and in the morning add one
even teaspoonful of soda, one egg, one
cupful Of flour, little salt and quarter
of cupful of sugar. Bake in hot gem