THREE HOUR BREAD.
Pour one cupful of boiling water over two tablespoonfuls of flour and beat well; when this becomes lukewarm add two teaspoonfuls of sugar and one yeast cake that has been dissolved in one half cupful of lukewarm water. Beat thoroughly, add flour enough to make a thick batter, beat until light and set in a warm place, about 90 degrees F. Keep covered and let rise until light and frothy, with this proportion of yeast it should rise in thirty minutes. When light add one cupful of scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm, and flour enough to make a stiff dough; stir in the flour with a spoon, beating it thoroughly; when the dough begins to stiffen, cut in the flour with a bread knife; add flour until the dough slips easily from the board, and does not stick to the hands. Then knead the dough on a slightly floured board until smooth, elastic, and full of air bubbles. Knead it firmly, but lightly, using only the wrist movements, put back in bowl, cover, and let rise in warm place until it doubles in bulk; shape into loaves, or biscuit; brush lightly with melted butter, and place in warm buttered pan. Let rise, closely covered, until loaves have doubled in bulk. Bake in an oven hot enough to brown one teaspoonful of flour placed on a piece of paper, in five minutes. If biscuits are to be baked, the oven should be hot enough to brown flour in two minutes. Let the bread bake from forty-five minutes to one hour. The first quarter of the time the bread should rise, but not form a crust; the second quarter the crust should form; the third the crust should become golden brown; the fourth should complete the baking. Place the loaf to cool uncovered, and in such a position that the air can circulate freely around it, bottom and all.