"The very staff of life:

The comfort of the husband, the pride of the wife."

Delicious White Bread

Into a large bowl put three qts. of sifted flour, make a hole in the center and put in three heaping teaspoonfuls of sugar and good swept lard and two of salt. Into one and one-half pts. of milk pour one and one-half pts. of hot water. Dissolve one cake of compressed yeast in one cupful of luke warm water; pour this into the flour and add the milk a little at a time until all is used. Stir it with a spoon until dough has lost some of its stickiness, adding more flour when necessary. Knead thoroughly, using as little flour as possible, until the dough becomes soft and velvety. Remember the quality of your bread will depend largely upon your kneading. Knead it lightly and gently until it cleans from the bowl - when it is done. Turn a milk pan over the bowl, cover the whole with cloth and stand it in a warm place over night. Early in the morning knead it down, turn it out on a bread board and divide into loaves. Place in a greased pan, cover and stand again in a warm place until light. Prick each loaf with a fork, thus allowing any gas that may have formed underneath the crust to escape. There is as much art in baking as in making.

The oven should be hot, but not hot enough to scorch. This quantity will make four good-sized loaves and a pan of rolls.

Mrs. V. D. Black.

Salt Rising Bread

(yeast).

Take one cupful of boiling water; into this put a pinch of soda, a little salt and when cool stir in enough middlings, (the coarser part of wheat), to make a very thick batter. Mix this in a pitcher, set in a kettle of warm,(not hot) water, keeping the temperature about the same, and set in a warm place to rise. Make this yeast at noon and it will be ready next morning to use for bread. When ready to make the bread, take a deep dish into which put a pt. of flour; pour in the yeast, add a cupful of warm water and stir all well together. Cover with a tin and put in a warm place to rise. In about three-qunrters of an hour it will be ready to knead into loaves. Knead as little as possible, using only just enough flour to keep the bread from sticking to the hands and board. Mould into loaves, place in greased tins, and let rise again, being careful to keep it warm. The secret in making this kind of bread is in keeping the yeast and the bread at an even temperature all the time. In about three-quarters of an hour the dough will be sufficiently light to bake. Bake in a hot oven. This will make two good-sized loaves.

Mrs. W. H. Clark.

Compressed Yeast Bread

Soak one cake of compressed yeast in cupful of warm water for half an hour; add one pt. of warm water, or warm new milk, one teaspoonful of salt, two teaspoonfuls of sugar, and one qt. of flour. Stir well together and cover with a thin cloth and put where it will keep warm. In two hours it should be very light, when just enough flour should be added to make it stiff enough to knead smoothly. If the flour is good it will mould in a few minutes into a smooth soft dough, ready to be divided into loaves. These should be large enough to half fill the pans, and should be covered with a cloth and kept warm for an hour or longer, until pans are just rounding full. Bake in moderate oven from three-quarters of an hour to an hour, according to size of loaves. If loaves are rubbed over the top with nice butter, warmed just enough to soften it, before they begin to brown, crust will be tender and of a delicious color and flavor. When done turn out quickly; stand loaves on end, tipping against pans where the air will strike them, as bread should cool as rapidly as possible. Cover only with a thin cloth until cold. If one wants bread quickly, all the flour may be kneaded with the yeast at once, moulding into loaves, and putting directly into pans to rise. It requires more kneading, but is very nice and very little trouble to make.

Mrs. A. W. AndErson, Pacific Grove.