BREAD.

BREAD, ROLLS, BISCUITS, MUFFINS, YEAST.

SOMEWHERE in the book of Genesis we read: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." Now, I think it should read: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou knead bread." For it is almost impossible to make bread without experiencing the sweat of the brow and an aching back.

The three important requisites to the making of good bread are: good flour, good fresh yeast, and strength and endurance to knead or work it well. Try the yeast always by setting to rise in a cup of lukewarm water or milk; adding salt and sugar, providing you use compressed yeast. If it rises in the course of ten or fifteen minutes the yeast is fit to use. In making bread always sift your flour. Set a sponge with warm milk or water, keeping it in a warm place until very light, then mold this sponge, by adding flour, into one large ball and kneading well and steadily for half an hour. Set to rise again, and, when sufficiently light, mold into small loaves, or one large one, and let it raise again. Take care not to get the dough too stiff with flour. It should be as soft as can be kneaded well. Bake slowly (unless you brush with beaten egg). Wet the top with water before baking. Bread should bake an hour, if the loaves are large, and when taken from the oven it should be wrapped in a clean towl wrung out of warm water, and stood up slanting, leaning against something; the wet towel will prevent the crust from becoming hard.

Grate six large raw potatoes, have ready a gallon of water in which you have boiled three handfuls of hops. Strain through a fine hair sieve, boiling hot, over the potatoes, stirring well, or the mixture will thicken like starch. Add a small cup of sugar and half a cup of salt. When cold, add a cup of fresh yeast. Let it stand until a thick foam rises on the top. Bottle in a couple of days. If kept in a cool place this yeast will last a long time. Use one cupful of yeast for one large baking. In making it, from time to time, use a bowl of the same to raise the new yeast with.

Set your dough at night and bake early in the morning; or, set in the morning and bake in the afternoon. First set your yeast in a cup of lukewarm milk or water, adding a teaspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of brown sugar. Let this rise, but if it fails to do so there is no use in mixing your bread. It must rise to show that the yeast is fresh and good. Now sift about two quarts of flour into a deep bread bowl and strew a few teaspoonfuls of fine salt over it. (I like bread salty.) Make a hole in the center of the flour, pour in the risen yeast and two cups of milk or water; and in winter be sure your bowl, flour, milk, in fact everything, has been thoroughly warmed before mixing. Now mix the dough slowly with the handle of a knife; when so thick that you can work it in this way no longer, begin to work it with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle some flour on the baking board and put your ball of dough on it and work it for half an hour by the clock, steadily. Work with the palm of your hand, always kneading toward center of ball (the dough must rebound like a rubber ball); put into a deep bowl, cover up and let it raise. When through kneading, it should leave your hands and board perfectly clean. When risen, work again for fifteen minutes, form into loaves to suit yourself, either twisted or in small bread pans. In cutting fresh bread or cake heat the knife or it will be doughy. Bake slowly for one hour in a moderate oven. Your fire should be just right, so as not to have to add fuel while baking, or shake the stove. You may have a pan of biscuits made out of this dough for breakfast.

These are made according to the above receipt. Work small pieces of dough into strands a finger long and take three strands for each loaf. Make small as possible; brush with beaten egg or sweetened water and sprinkle with poppy seed (mohn). Allow them to raise before setting in the oven. These are called "Vienna loaves," and are used at weddings, parties, etc.

Dissolve two cents' worth of compressed yeast in half a cup of lukewarm milk, add a teaspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of sugar and let it raise. Then make a soft dough of two quarts of flour and as much milk as is required to work it--say about two cupfuls--add the yeast, one quarter of a pound of sugar, one quarter of a pound of butter dissolved in the warm milk, the sugar also and the grated peel of a lemon, a small handful of raisins, seeded, and two eggs, well beaten. Work this dough perfectly smooth with the palm of your hand, adding more flour if necessary. It is hardly possible to tell the exact quantity of flour to use; experience will teach you when you have added enough. Different brands of flour vary, some containing more gluten than others. It is always safe, however, to sift more than the receipt calls for, so as to have it ready. Don't knead, as it will make the dough heavy and firm. Work the dough at least half an hour, always toward the center of the ball of dough. Let the dough raise until it is twice again as high as the original piece of dough. Then work the dough again for fifteen minutes (takes elbow grease, I know), and divide the dough into two parts, and divide each of the pieces of dough into three parts. Work the six pieces of dough thoroughly and then roll each piece into a long strand--three of which are to be longer than the other three. Braid the three long strands into one braid (should be thicker in the center than at the end), and braid the three shorter strands into one braid and lay it on top of the long braid, pressing the ends together. Butter a long baking pan, lift the barches into the pan and set in a very warm place to raise again--say half an hour. Then brush the top with beaten egg and sprinkle (mohn) poppy seed all over the top. Bake in a moderate oven one hour at least, thoroughly.

This is to be used with meat and made in the same manner, omitting the milk and butter; use water, and a little shortening of nice drippings or rendered suet, and grate a handful of blanched almonds and add. Beat up two eggs and add half a cup of sugar, salt, raisins and the grated peel of one lemon. Work just as you would butter barches. Bake for an hour, slowly. Wrap in a damp, clean towel as soon as baked to prevent the crust from becoming too hard.

Get a piece of sour dough from a baker, about as large as an apple; mix the dough in a deep pan, say about four pounds of flour and one quart of lukewarm water (buttermilk is better, if you can get it), a handful of salt and some carroway seed. Make a soft sponge and let it rise all night. In the morning work in the rest of the flour and make a pretty stiff dough. You may use a little wheat flour on your baking board in kneading it in the morning. Work the mass of dough into a ball, your hands having been well floured; knead hard, always toward the center of the ball which should be repeatedly turned over and around that every portion may be manipulated. The longer you knead the finer the pores of your bread will be. No matter if you do feel fatigued, the exercise is beneficial to your arms and chest. Now work the dough into shapely loaves and let it rise again for an hour, then wet, or rather brush, the top of the loaves with water and bake slowly for almost two hours. Break off a piece of dough and keep for next baking; and if you find at any time that your dough has not risen properly, add some yeast in the morning.

Take a piece of rye bread dough. After it has raised sufficiently roll out quite thin, butter a long cake pan and put in the rolled dough. Brush with melted butter; chop some onions very fine, strew thickly on top of cake, sprinkle with salt and put flakes of butter here and there.

Another way is to chop up parsley and use in place of the onions. Then called "Petersilien Platz."

Make a sponge of three boiled potatoes, mashed fine while hot, a piece of compressed yeast, one tablespoonful of sugar, one tablespoonful of butter, a pint of warm water and a cup and a half of wheat flour. Make a sponge of this and let it raise all night. In the morning take as much Graham flour as you used white in your sponge, a tablespoonful of salt and a handful of Indian meal. Wet this all up with the sponge, and when mixed add a quarter of a tablespoonful of molasses; the dough should be quite soft. If there is not enough sponge to reduce it to the desired consistency, add a little more warm water, for the dough must be very soft. Knead it for a long time, as it does not raise as quickly as white flour, therefore should be allowed a much longer time to rise. Make into loaves, kneading again and set in a warm place to rise. Bake slowly, as it will take longer to bake than white bread.

Three and one-half cups of Graham flour, two of cornmeal, three of sour milk, one-half cup of molasses, one and a half teaspoonful of soda; steam two and one-half hours, then bake fifteen minutes.

Sift two quarts of the finest patent flour into your bread bowl (which should be slightly warm); soak a piece of yeast in a cup of lukewarm milk, add a spoonful of sugar and a spoonful of salt, and let it raise. Now sift the flour again, mixing another teaspoonful of fine salt into it. Make a hole in the center of the flour, stir in the yeast and a quart of lukewarm milk, deducting the cup you have previously added to the yeast; stir well (like a cake batter), then beat with the hollow of the hand half an hour at least and let it raise all night. In the morning flour a baking board and work well; do not knead the dough, but work lightly with the palm of your hand, always toward you. Grease your bread pans well, put in your loaves and let them raise again; butter or grease the loaves on top before putting in the oven. If properly made the bread will be very white and flaky. Bake one hour.

Prepare the yeast as you would for bread, and work just the same; add one-quarter of a pound of butter, one-quarter of a pound of sugar, four eggs, beaten light; work until it leaves your hands perfectly clean, then form into rolls; raise and then brush with beaten egg and bake.

Put two quarts of flour into a deep bowl, sift and rub a large spoonful of butter into the flour as you would for biscuit; then make a hole in the center of the flour and stir in half a teacup of milk in which you have dissolved a piece of yeast, a teaspoonful of sugar and half a teaspoonful of salt and a pint of milk, mix well. Let it rise over night; or reverse, and mix in the morning and let it rise all day. Bake so as to have fresh rolls for six o'clock dinner. Roll out about an inch thick, after having worked the dough on a baking board, using more flour if necessary, cut with a large cutter, rub over with melted butter and lap like turnovers. Let them rise one hour after putting in the pan. Bake twenty minutes.

Sift one quart of flour, adding two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, two large tablespoonfuls of butter, a saltspoonful of salt. Sift the flour and baking powder together two or three times; rub the butter into the flour until it looks and feels like sand. Wet with very cold milk. Do this quickly and make as soft a dough as can possibly be handled. Roll about an inch thick, cut with a biscuit cutter or top of a spice box and bake in a hot oven. In making biscuits let every movement be as quick as possible and do not let the dough stand a moment after it is ready for the oven. Time required for baking is fifteen to twenty minutes, allowing yourself thirty minutes in all from the time you begin to mix.

Make a sponge of one pint of milk, a little salt and half a cake of compressed yeast. When light take a piece of butter the size of an egg, one quarter of a cup of sugar, one egg and a little salt. Beat all up together and stir into the sponge, adding flour enough to make a stiff batter. Stir it well and leave to raise; then take of the light dough with a spoon just enough for each biscuit, and work softly into shape, lay upon buttered pans to raise; then bake.

Two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted with one quart of flour; one tablespoonful of butter, rubbed well together; mix with cold water or milk and stir quickly with a knife; when well mixed roll up on a thickly-floured board, roll out about an inch thick, cut with a tumbler or biscuit cutter, place on a buttered pan and bake quickly in a well-heated oven. If mixed properly they will be as light and white as foam.

Prepare the yeast as you would for bread and work the same. Add one-quarter of a pound of butter, one-quarter of a pound of sugar and four eggs beaten light. Work until it leaves your hands perfectly clean and form into rolls; raise and then brush with beaten egg and bake.

One quart of Graham flour, three and one-half heaping teaspoonfuls baking powder, one teaspoonful of salt and one of butter; make into a soft dough with milk, and bake.

To one quart of water add three eggs, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of sugar, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder; add enough Graham flour to make a stiff batter. Beat all very hard. Bake in a hot oven.

Take one tablespoonful of butter, two of sugar, two eggs and stir all together well. Add one cup of sweet milk, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and flour enough to make a thick batter. Bake twenty minutes in a quick oven.

(No. 1.) Two cups Graham flour and one cup wheat flour, two eggs, well beaten; mix with sweet milk to make quite a thin batter. Mix with the flour a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder and add salt. Bake in hot muffin-irons, then set on the upper grating to brown.

(No. 2.) One egg, butter half the size of an egg, three cups Graham flour, three teaspoonfuls baking powder, some salt, one large cup of milk and half a cup of water. Make as thick as ordinary cake batter. Bake in a hot oven.

One cup of Indian meal, and half a cupful of flour, in which you have sifted two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Wet this with two cups of sweet milk, add one teaspoonful of butter, one teaspoonful of salt and one of sugar. Beat the yelks of two eggs light and add, and last the stiff-beaten whites; bake in muffin rings. Eat cold.

Mix one pint of milk with six well-beaten eggs, a good pinch of salt, one tablespoonful of sugar, one quart of flour with three teaspoonfuls of baking powder; sift flour and baking powder together twice; bake in a quick oven. Eat hot.

One pint of Indian meal, one pint of buttermilk, two eggs, whites and yelks beaten separately, whites to be put in the last thing; two tablespoonfuls of sugar; one tablespoonful of melted butter, a little salt and a teaspoonful of baking powder.

Dissolve one piece, or two cents' worth of yeast in half a cupful of lukewarm milk, add a pinch of salt and a little sugar; let this raise. Mix a dough (soft dough) with three cups of milk and sufficient flour to make it just thick enough to roll. Next morning roll, cut round or mold into half-moons. You may add half a cup of butter and sugar, if you wish them extra nice. Let them raise again, about half an hour after putting them in the pan, and when half baked brush them with beaten egg.

Take one quart of rye flour and one quart of Graham flour and one quart of wheat flour; mix one teaspoonful of salt and two cents' worth of yeast in one quart of warm water, add to this one scant cupful of molasses. Now stir and work this into the flour--beat hard and then work with the hand as you would other bread. Let it raise from ten to twelve hours--longer raising will not injure it, on the contrary it will be all the lighter. Mould into loaves into iron bread pans and raise again before baking. Eat fresh. This will make three loaves.