Bread

Put four tablespoonfuls of shortening, either butter and lard mixed or one of the good fats on the market, two tablespoonfuls of sugar and one teaspoonful of salt into a bread-raiser, and pour over it one quart of boiling water. Place one yeast cake in half a cupful of lukewarm water and stir with a teaspoon till softened. When the water in the bread pan becomes lukewarm, pour in the yeast and stir thoroughly. Add five cupfuls of sifted bread flour, beating it as it goes in with a wire whisk. When it becomes too thick to move with the whisk, use a slitted wooden spoon and stir thoroughly, so that the flour and wetting may become well mixed. Add flour enough to knead. When it is spongy but not dry, turn it out on a well-floured molding cloth and knead. It is the kneading that gives it the satiny smoothness and the elasticity which are invariable tests of good bread. It ought, even during this process, to begin to show bubbles in its texture. Knead them out, as much as possible. When dough is put back in the pan to rise with bubbles showing here and there, it will be full of holes and poor of taste when baked. After the kneading is finished and the dough, feels as smooth as silk, wash the bread-raiser and dry it, then rub well inside with butter or lard before putting the dough back again for the second raising. In the morning, when well risen, cut it down. By this process I mean cutting the light spongy mass through and through half a dozen times and then turning it over and over to check fermentation for a short time. The cutting takes only a minute or two, and one can feel that if it is not attended to for half an hour, the bread will not sour. It does not hurt it at all if it has to be cut down a second time. When ready to care for it, toss on the floured molding board and knead again - slightly this time - till every air bubble disappears, then put it in greased pans, having each one about half full. Cover lightly, set in a warm place, and allow it to double its bulk before putting to bake.

This recipe will make four good-sized loaves. The oven, to give satisfactory results, ought to be quite hot when the bread is first put in. If you bake it in a gas stove, the best plan is to light both burners seven or eight minutes before the bread goes in. Set it on the bottom shelf, then allow it to rise to double its bulk and begin to brown very slightly. Turn out one burner and finish the baking in a cooler oven. This does away with any fear of burning; it bakes the bread perfectly and gives a much nicer crust than if the oven is very hot all the time. The management of dampers in a coal or wood stove will give the same results. According to the size of your loaves, bread will require from forty-five to sixty minutes to bake well. On taking it from the oven set the loaves on a wire stand or sieve to cool. Never wrap them steaming hot in a towel. Frequently one tastes the cloth in which bread has been wrapped, or the soap with which the cloth was washed. Besides, it shuts the steam up in the loaf, making it damp and clammy, a sure medium for the cultivation of mold. Allow the bread to become perfectly cold before putting it away in the bread-box or jar, then keep it closely covered.