Harper's cook book encyclopædia

having plenty of boiling water in the vessel beneath. A medium-sized loaf should cook one hour, and the lid of the steamer must not be removed or the water cease boiling, else the bread will be heavy. When done, remove from the steamer and put into the oven for about twenty minutes T;o give it a crust. The steaming gives lightness and moisture to the bread, and the finish in the oven dries the outside and gives a crust to it. Home-made Bread. — Sift 2 lbs. of fine white flour into a deep earthen dish, and with a wooden spoon hollow out the middle, leaving a little flour at the bottom of the hole. Have ready a table-spoonful of strong brewer’s yeast, which has stood twenty-four hours in a cup of cold water to settle. Mix the yeast slowly with a pint of warm milk and water, half of each, stirring gently while mixing. Pour the mixture into the hole in the flour, and stir from the walls of the hole until a thick batter is formed. Cover this with flour. Cover the pan with a thick towel, and stand in a warm, dry place. Take up the pan in an hour, if the flour on the top is split open, and pour in half a pint of warm milk and water, stirring with the spoon until very stiff. Cover with dry flour and knead, drawing the edges towards the middle to mix thoroughly, till all the flour is kneaded in. Stand again to rise until the dough cracks on the top. Form quickly into loaves and bake. Pulled Bread. — Fresh bread dough, made into strands and baked like ordinary bread. When cool, it is torn apart into irregular pieces, returned to the oven and baked fifteen or twenty minutes, until crisp. To be served hot. Rice Bread. — Boil 1 lb. of whole rice in milk enough to dissolve all the grains, adding it boiling as it is absorbed. Have 4 lbs. of sifted flour in a pan, and into this pour the rice and milk, adding salt and a wineglassful (large) of brewer’s yeast. Knead, and set to rise till light. Form in loaves and bake. Rye Bread. — Make a rather stiff mush of corn meal, boiling it long and well ; salt to taste ; when milkwarm, stir in yeast in just the proportion for wheat sponge. In cool weather this must be done overnight ; and in the morning, when light, work in as much rye flour as the sponge will hold. Do not get it too stiff, for it will adhere to the hands even when stiff enough, and, unlike wheat dough, its "stickiness” is not a sign of the need of more flour. Let the dough rise, and do not attempt to mould it, but pour into wellbuttered tins. Rye Bread (steamed). — Half a pint of rye meal, unsifted, one pint of sifted corn meal, the same quantity of sour milk, half a gill of molasses, one teaspoonful of salt, and a large teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a small portion of warm water; stir well together, adding the soda last. Steam it for four hours. Wheat Entire Bread. — One cup of wheat flour, one quart of entire wheat flour, one-quarter of a cake of compressed yeast, one pint of water, or milk if preferred, one teaspoonful of shortening (either lard or butter), a half teaspoonful of salt, molasses according to taste. Beat hard with a spoon and let rise overnight. In the morning mould and let it rise again. This quantity will make two loaves.