“There’s a granite iron pail here,” Case laughed, “that will fit down tight over the bread on top of the heater. I’ll mix up the dough, and we’ll have it all ready to bake before we go to bed. I’ve seen bread made lots of times, so I guess I can do the trick.”
He took four packages of compressed yeast and put them in a cup to dissolve, first heating the water to blood temperature. Alex watched him with a grin on his face.
“Why don’t you put in some yeast?” he finally asked.
“That’s just what I’m doing,” Case replied, “and I’ll get along just as well if you go and get that fish. We’ll want him for supper.”
Alex snorted and went away, pulling the bear cub along with him. Captain Joe still stood watching the making of the bread.
When the yeast was dissolved, Case emptied a large quantity of flour into a great dishpan and stirred the yeasty water into it Clay, who entered the cabin at that stage of the proceedings, hastened to ask:
“How much bread are you thinking of making, little cook?”
“Never you mind me!” retorted Case. “I’m making this bread. You don’t have to eat any of it. Go on, now, and leave me alone. Ships’ cooks are never questioned by the officers or the passengers.”
Clay went out to help Alex catch his fish, and Case mixed the dough up lightly, making almost a panful. This done, he switched on the electric stove, placed a square pan, inverted, over the cherry-red coils, laid a board over that, and set the pan of dough on to “rise.”
“That ought to be up so we can bake it to-night,” he thought. “I’d have made bread before if I had known how easy it was.”