BREAD.
1463. How to prepare the Dough for French Bread.
—Sift on a table four pounds of the best flour procurable, transfer two pounds of it into a bowl of the capacity to hold ten quarts. Make a hollow space in the centre of the flour in the bowl, then put in it one ounce of compressed yeast, pour in one pint of lukewarm water, then with the hand thoroughly dissolve the yeast in the water for three minutes thereafter; gradually incorporate the flour for five minutes, then sharply knead the whole for five minutes. Fully cover the bowl with a napkin, lay the bowl in a warm place of about eighty degrees temperature, to let the sponge rise for two hours. During that length of time the sponge will double, after about one hour and a half (after being put away) then fall, and again rise double. Have in a vessel one pint of lukewarm water, or the same quantity of lukewarm milk, add one and a half ounces of salt, thoroughly dissolve for one minute, then pour it into the bowl with the sponge, and thoroughly knead the whole well together for five minutes. Now gradually add the two remaining pounds of flour, constantly kneading meanwhile. which ought to take about fifteen minutes, to have it smooth and consistent. Lift up the dough with the hands and sharply knock it against the bottom of the bowl for at least six or seven different times, so as to have it of a firm consistency; then cover the bowl with a napkin, place it in a warm place, the same temperature as before, to rise for two hours again; by this time the dough should be raised double. Remove the napkin and transfer the dough on a lightly floured table. Cut out a two-pound piece, and with the hands roll and press it into a ball shape for three minutes, then lay it aside. Cut out another of the same weight, roll and press it in the same way as the first. Cut the remaining dough into twelve equal pieces, and roll them also into ball shapes, and let rest for three minutes.
1464. How to shape French Rolls and Fluttes.
—Have a square tin pan eighteen inches long; lay over it a duck cloth twice longer than the pan; flute the cloth up two inches high, and two inches apart from one another. Take a rolling-pin six inches long by half an inch thick, lay it crosswise over a small ball shape right in the centre, and with both hands press it down almost to the bottom, then slightly roll the pin, taking care to leave the third of an inch intact; remove the pin, then place the shape-like roll into a section of the fluted cloth in the pan, and then proceed with five more exactly the same. Now take one of the remaining small balls, and with the hands roll it out to the length of four inches, and then place it in the fluted cloth and proceed the same with the other five.
1465. How to shape the French Loaf and Ring (or Couronne).
—Take one of the large ball-shaped pieces of dough, and with the hands roll it out evenly to eighteen inches long. Flute a section of the cloth in the pan three inches high by four inches wide, then gently lay the dough in it; cover all with a sheet of paper, and then place the pan in a warm place to rise. Evenly roll out the last ball-shaped dough with the hands, twenty-four inches long, then firmly join (or connect) both ends together, giving it a pretty round ring shape; place it then into a baking pan, lay a sheet of paper over, and put it in a warm place to rise.
1466. How to bake the Rolls and Fluttes.
—Allow the rolls and fluttes to rise for three-quarters of an hour. Then transfer them into a baking-sheet, keeping them one inch apart one from another. Make three small diagonal incisions on top of the six fluttes; then place them in a hot oven to bake for thirty minutes. Remove from out the oven, lay aside, and serve when desired.
1467. How to bake the French Loaf and Ring (Couronne).
—Take a board eighteen inches long by five inches wide and half an inch thick. Lightly flour it, and place it right alongside of the French-loaf-shaped one, and with the hands lift up the cloth on the opposite side, turning the loaf on the board, and then carefully turn the loaf from the board into a baking-sheet. Make three light incisions diagonally on top, and place it in the hot oven. Immediately make four light incisions, at equal distances on top of the ring-shaped one in the pan, and place it also in the upper section of the oven, and let both bake for one hour. Remove them from out the oven, and they will be ready to serve.
1468. Tea Biscuits.
—Place in a vessel one and a half pounds of flour, half an ounce of fine salt, half an ounce of powdered sugar, and one ounce of baking powder. Mix all well with the hand for one minute, then transfer the whole into a sieve, over another vessel; press the ingredients through, remove the sieve; add one ounce of good butter, then with the hand mix all well for one minute; pour into it one pint of fresh milk, then knead the whole well together for five minutes. Transfer the dough on a lightly floured table, and with a rolling-pin roll out the dough to three-quarters of an inch thick. Cut out from it, with a round paste-cutter, two inches in diameter, thirty equal pieces, and lay them close together on a buttered baking-pan. Moisten their surface with fresh milk, place them in the hot oven to bake for twenty minutes. Remove from out the oven, lay aside, and serve when required.
1469. Boston Brown Bread.
—Place in a wooden bowl six ounces of flour, six ounces of Indian meal, and six ounces of rye flour; mix well together; then add two ounces of butter and one teaspoonful of saleratus; mix thoroughly for two minutes; add now half a pint of molasses and one pint of sour milk; mix the whole well together for five minutes. Have a brown-bread mold sufficiently large to hold three quarts, butter the interior well, transfer the preparation into it. Then place the mold in a deep pan five inches high; fill the pan with warm water, place it in a moderate oven to steam for three hours and a half without disturbing it. Take from out the oven, lift up the mold from the pan, turn it onto a dish, remove the mold, and it will be ready to serve.