Recipes on Bread Making and Baking
As bread is one of the most essential
articles of food, and there is no one thing upon which the health and comfort of
a family so much depend, it is of great importance to have good bread well
baked. We cannot expect this without card and attention. One must have good
flour, good yeast , or baking powder, a good, strong wand willing pair of hands,
and a good fire.
YEAST
This is the first requisite for good bread. Home-made yeast is better than
bakers or brewers'; but for warm biscuit or light cakes, Lewis' Condensed Baking
Powder is always safe and reliable.
HOP YEAST
Take as many dry hops as you can grasp in your hand, put them into a sauce-pan,
turn on two quarts of boiling water; set them on to boil. In another sauce-pan
put eight or ten potatoes to boil; when the potatoes are done the hops will be
done enough. Mash the potatoes fine , add two tablespoonfuls of salt; strain the
hop water on to the potatoes; stir in as much flour as will make a thin batter;
let it stand to cool; when cool enough to put your hand in stir in one pint of
good yeast, either bakers' or brewers'; set it to rise five or six hours, or
until it is all of a froth; then strain it through a colander into a stone jar;
stop it tight; keep it in a cool place. This will keep a week, It is best to
make yeast while you have enough to rise another jar full.
POTATO YEAST
One cup of boiled potatoes, mashed hot, with one tablespoonful of flour, one
tablespoonful of white sugar, two cupfuls of boiling water; mix smooth; when
lukewarm add a gill of yeast; let it rise, then put it into a jug.
BREAD
Three quarts of flour, half a cup of yeast, one teaspoonful of salt, warm water
to make it into a dough. Knead this until it is perfectly smooth. Be sure to get
all the flour off the sides of the pan. Set it in a warm place to rise at night.
In the morning knead the dough well, divide it into two loaves and put it into
the pans, set it in a warm place to rise, about an hour. a pint of Indian meal
scalded, and mixed with the flour, is by some persons considered an improvement,
but it will require one hour to bake.
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