Part 206 (1/2)
TO MAKE A PECK OF GOOD BREAD.
1719. INGREDIENTS.--3 lbs. of potatoes, 6 pints of cold water, 1/2 pint of good yeast, a peck of flour, 2 oz. of salt.
_Mode_.--Peel and boil the potatoes; beat them to a cream while warm; then add 1 pint of cold water, strain through a colander, and add to it 1/2 pint of good yeast, which should have been put in water over-night, to take off its bitterness. Stir all well together with a wooden spoon, and pour the mixture into the centre of the flour; mix it to the substance of cream, cover it over closely, and let it remain near the fire for an hour; then add the 5 pints of water, milk-warm, with 2 oz.
of salt; pour this in, and mix the whole to a nice light dough. Let it remain for about 2 hours; then make it into 7 loaves, and bake for about 1-1/2 hour in a good oven. When baked, the bread should weigh nearly 20 lbs.
_Time_.--About 1-1/2 hour.
THE RED VARIETIES OF WHEAT are generally hardier and more easily grown than the white sorts, and, although of less value to the miller, they are fully more profitable to the grower, in consequence of the better crops which they produce. Another advantage the red wheats possess is their comparative immunity from the attacks of mildew and fly. The best English wheat comes from the counties of Kent and Ess.e.x; the qualities under these heads always bearing a higher price than others, as will be seen by the periodical lists in the journals.
RICE BREAD.
1720. INGREDIENTS.--To every lb. of rice allow 4 lbs. of wheat flour, nearly 3 tablespoonfuls of yeast, 1/4 oz. of salt. _Mode_.--Boil the rice in water until it is quite tender; pour off the water, and put the rice, before it is cold, to the flour. Mix these well together with the yeast, salt, and sufficient warm water to make the whole into a smooth dough; let it rise by the side of the fire, then form it into loaves, and bake them from 1-1/2 to 2 hours, according to their size. If the rice is boiled in milk instead of water, it makes very delicious bread or cakes. When boiled in this manner, it may be mixed with the flour without straining the liquid from it. _Time_.--1-1/2 to 2 hours.
INDIAN-CORN-FLOUR BREAD.
1721. INGREDIENTS.--To 4 lbs. of flour allow 2 lbs. of Indian-corn flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of yeast, 3 pints of warm water, 1/4 oz. of salt. _Mode_.--Mix the two flours well together, with the salt; make a hole in the centre, and stir the yeast up well with 1/2 pint of the warm water; put this into the middle of the flour, and mix enough of it with the yeast to make a thin batter; throw a little flour over the surface of this batter, cover the whole with a thick cloth, and set it to rise in a warm place. When the batter has nicely risen, work the whole to a nice smooth dough, adding the water as required; knead it well, and mould the dough into loaves; let them rise for nearly 1/2 hour, then put them into a well-heated oven. If made into 2 loaves, they will require from 1-1/2 to 2 hours baking.
_Time_.--1-1/2 to 2 hours.
[Ill.u.s.tration: MAIZE PLANT.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: EAR OF MAIZE.]
MAIZE.--Next to wheat and rice, maize is the grain most used in the nourishment of man. In Asia, Africa, and America, it is the princ.i.p.al daily food of a large portion of the population, especially of the colonists. In some of the provinces of France, too, it is consumed in large quant.i.ties. There are eight varieties of the maize; the most productive is the maize of Cusco. The flour of maize is yellow, and it contains an oily matter, which, when fresh, gives it an agreeable flavour and odour; but the action of the air on it soon develops rancidity.
If carried any distance, it should be stored away in air-tight vessels. An excellent soup is prepared with meat and maize-flour. The inhabitants of some countries, where wheat is scarce, make, with maize and water, or milk and salt, a kind of biscuit, which is pleasant in taste, but indigestible. Some of the preparations of maize-flour are very good, and, when partaken in moderation, suitable food for almost everybody.
SODA BREAD.
1722. INGREDIENTS.--To every 2 lbs. of flour allow 1 teaspoonful of tartaric acid, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, 2 breakfast-cupfuls of cold milk.
_Mode_.--Let the tartaric acid and salt be reduced to the finest possible powder; then mix them well with the flour. Dissolve the soda in the milk, and pour it several times from one basin to another, before adding it to the flour. Work the whole quickly into a light dough, divide it into 2 loaves, and put them into a well-heated oven immediately, and bake for an hour. Sour milk or b.u.t.termilk may be used, but then a little less acid will be needed.
_Time_.--1 hour.
POLISH AND POMERANIAN WHEAT are accounted by authorities most excellent. Large raft-like barges convey this grain down the rivers, from the interior of the country to the seaports. This corn is described as being white, hard, and thin-skinned; and it yields a large quant.i.ty of flour, having a small proportion of bran.
EXCELLENT ROLLS.
1723. INGREDIENTS.--To every lb. of flour allow 1 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1/4 pint of milk, 1 large teaspoonful of yeast, a little salt.
[Ill.u.s.tration: ROLLS.]
_Mode_.--Warm the b.u.t.ter in the milk, add to it the yeast and salt, and mix these ingredients well together. Put the flour into a pan, stir in the above ingredients, and let the dough rise, covered in a warm place.
Knead it well, make it into rolls, let them rise again for a few minutes, and bake in a quick oven. Richer rolls may be made by adding 1 or 2 eggs and a larger proportion of b.u.t.ter, and their appearance improved by brus.h.i.+ng the tops over with yolk of egg or a little milk.