Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-10-03
VALUABLE HINTS
BY w. S. @. EXPERTS
Information Regarding Matters of
Interest to Farmers Given i'm
Response to Inquiries
Making Good Bread

bread making is good, active Yeast
and it makes little difference
whether the source is compressed or
dried yeast cake, or starter" The
main thing is that it should be active
and not soured by chills or draughts
By using good, active yeast and
proper methods, good bread can be
made from any flour. The best tenn
perature for the DEVELOPMENT of
yeast is about 80 to 90 degrees F..
Here is a good way to prepare
yeast; Crate one-fourth of a pound
of potatoes; add one quart of boiling
water; stir thoroughly. Next, add
three ounces of sugar, one ounce of
sa =, and finally, when the temper
ature has fallen to blood heat, add
one cake of crumbled dry yeast cake
and stir. Cover snugly, set aside in
a warm place away from air cur
rents, and leave it there to ferment
over night. The following morning,
this mixture should contain much
yeast foam on the surface. Strain,
and add enough water to meet the
required absorption of the flour.
If a starter" is useu, instead of
the above proportions, use four
ounces of sugar, and one and one
fourth ounces of SAT- and follow the
above directions. The next morning
save out half pint and place it in n
fruit jar, which set away in a cool
place ready to use the starter. The
remaining pint and a half of yeast
preparation is strained and diluted
with the required amount of water.
The use of too little water is the
most prevalent cause for failure to
make good bread. The dough should
be sufficiently slack to nearly cling
to the hand. A stiff dough is slow to
rise, and in case fermentation is pro-
longed, it will sour and never spring
In the oven. Dough of proper con-
sistency will rise rapidly and develop
into well piled loayes of good tex
too much water than too little, for in
the former case, the time of fer
mehtation can be shortened and bak-
ing prolonged to dry off the excess
water. Upon mixing, if the dough
is too stiff, it is possible to over
come this by adding more water and
working it gently and thoroughly.
How to handle dough. Mix one
pound of flour with all of the yeast
and water, either with a spoon or
bread mixer. Let it stand a few
minutes, and then gradually work
in the remaining two and three
quarter pounds of flour. Never
force the flour to take up the water.
If the hands are used, the dough
should be partly lifted and half
turned toward or away from you.
The mixing operation should be con-
tinued until all the ingredients have
been thoroughly mixed. The same
kneading the rising dough. Knead
gently and thoroughly until all the
large gas pockets have been worked
out. A thorough mixing followed by
two gentle kneadings is best with
some flours, while with others the
mere handling in the last kneading
to shape into loaves gives the best
results. If the mixing, kneading,
and other operations are done with
force, there is danger of lessening
the activity of the yeast, in which
case the dough fails to rise.
On the other hand, over-fermented
doughs, when placed in the oven to
bake, will fall. In such cases it is
advisable to re-knead and let the
dough rise again, although the quail
ity of such bread will be more or less
impaired. Since a measure of one
flour will weigh more than a meas
ure full of another, it should be
weighed not m measured. Also, it is
more satisfactory to weigh the water
The proper amount of water must be
determined for each lot of flour, and
it is therefore preferable to purchase
flour not sack at time, but in barrel
lots. Flour generally improves with
age. The following Is simple way
to determine the amount of water
flour requires:
Using a fairly accurate scale and
small apothecary's graduate, weigh
out three or four lots of flour of four
ounces each. In one lot add two
ounces of prepared yeast prepare
ton; in another, two and four
tenths ounces; and in a third, two
and eight-tenths. If the one with
two and eight-tenths ounces is too
soft, while the one with two and five
tenths ounces is little too stiff, mix