Too small a proportion of yeast or insufficient time allowed for the dough to rise, will cause the bread to be heavy. Heavy bread will also most likely be the result of making the dough very hard and letting it become quite cold, particularly in winter. If either the sponge or the dough be permitted to overwork itself — that is to say, if the mixing and kneading be neglected when it has reached the proper point for either — sour bread will probably be the consequence in warm weather, and bad bread in any. The good- COOKERY RECIPES. 517 ness will also be endangered by placing it so near a fire as to make any part of it hot, instead of maintaining the gentle and equal degree of heat required for its due fermentation. To keep bread sweet and fresh, as soon as it is cold it should be put into a clean earthen pot, with a cover to it ; this pot should be placed at a little distance from the ground, to allow a current of air to pass underneath. Some persons prefer keeping bread on clean wooden shelves, with- out being covered, that the crust may not soften. Stale bread may be freshened by warming it through in a gentle oven. Stale pastry, cakes, etc., may also be improved by this method. The utensils required for making bread, on a moderate scale, are a kneading-trough or pan, sufficiently large that the dough may be kneaded freely without throwing the flour over the edges, and also to allow for its rising ; a hair-sieve for straining yeast, and one or two strong spoons. As a general rule, the oven for baking bread should be rather quick, and the heat so regulated as to penetrate the dough without hardening the outside. The oven-door should not be opened after the bread is put in until the dough is set, or has become firm, as the cool air admitted will have an unfavorable effect on it. Mixed Breads. — Rye bread is hard of digestion, and requires longer and slower baking than wheaten bread. It is better when made with a leaven of wheaten flour rather than yeast, and turns out lighter. It should not be eaten till two days old. It will keep a long time. ToPSY Bread (a Gevjnan dish). — One quaft of milk, mixed with two tablespoonfuls of flour and three or four eggs, small quantity of salt, stale baker's bread cut in slices; dip the bread in the batter .and ^ soak it; then take it out and fry it on a hot griddle with a very little lard ; turn it over and brown both sides alike ; eat with powdered sugar sprinkled over it. Brown Bread (i). — Three cups of corn-meal, two cups of rye flour, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of molasses; stir with new milk. Bake three hours. 5i8 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. Brown Bread (2). — Two cups of corn-meal, one of wheat flour, one of molasses, one teaspoonful of soda. Mix with either sweet or sour milk ; stir it as stiff as wheat griddle-cakes. Put it in some cov- ered vessel and boil in kettles of hot water four hours at least. It is better boiled longer. ✪ Topsy Bread

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Too small a proportion of yeast or insufficient time allowed for the dough to rise, will cause the bread to be heavy. Heavy bread will also most likely be the result of making the dough very hard and letting it become quite cold, particularly in winter. If either the sponge or the dough be permitted to overwork itself — that is to say, if the mixing and kneading be neglected when it has reached the proper point for either — sour bread will probably be the consequence in warm weather, and bad bread in any. The good- ness will also be endangered by placing it so near a fire as to make any part of it hot, instead of maintaining the gentle and equal degree of heat required for its due fermentation. To keep bread sweet and fresh, as soon as it is cold it should be put into a clean earthen pot, with a cover to it ; this pot should be placed at a little distance from the ground, to allow a current of air to pass underneath. Some persons prefer keeping bread on clean wooden shelves, without being covered, that the crust may not soften. Stale bread may be freshened by warming it through in a gentle oven. Stale pastry, cakes, etc., may also be improved by this method. The utensils required for making bread, on a moderate scale, are a kneading-trough or pan, sufficiently large that the dough may be kneaded freely without throwing the flour over the edges, and also to allow for its rising ; a hair-sieve for straining yeast, and one or two strong spoons. As a general rule, the oven for baking bread should be rather quick, and the heat so regulated as to penetrate the dough without hardening the outside. The oven-door should not be opened after the bread is put in until the dough is set, or has become firm, as the cool air admitted will have an unfavorable effect on it. Mixed Breads. — Rye bread is hard of digestion, and requires longer and slower baking than wheaten bread. It is better when made with a leaven of wheaten flour rather than yeast, and turns out lighter. It should not be eaten till two days old. It will keep a long time. TOPSY Bread (a German dish). — One quaft of milk, mixed with two tablespoonfuls of flour and three or four eggs, small quantity of salt, stale baker's bread cut in slices; dip the bread in the batter and soak it; then take it out and fry it on a hot griddle with a very little lard ; turn it over and brown both sides alike ; eat with powdered sugar sprinkled over it. Brown Bread (i). — Three cups of corn-meal, two cups of rye flour, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of molasses; stir with new milk. Bake three hours. 5i8 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. Brown Bread (2). — Two cups of corn-meal, one of wheat flour, one of molasses, one teaspoonful of soda. Mix with either sweet or sour milk ; stir it as stiff as wheat griddle-cakes. Put it in some covered vessel and boil in kettles of hot water four hours at least. It is better boiled longer.

Records on this page

Topsy BreadBrown Bread (1)Brown Bread (2)

The hearthstone; or, Life at home