Mushrooms.
Choose such as are young having red gills, cut off the part of the stalk which grew in the earth, wash them remove the skin from the top, stew them with some salt in a little water and when tender add butter into which you have rubbed brown flour. They are good broiled on a griddle and laid around beefsteak.
BREAD
Three things must be exactly right in order to have good bread, the quality of the yeast, the lightness or fermentation of the dough and the heat of the oven. It requires careful attention and good judgement to decide when all are right, no precise rules can be given.
Good Bread (White)
Scald 1 qt of milk when cool add 1 Fleischmann yeast cake dissolved in luke warm water. 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of lard or butter melted, 1 tablespoon of salt, stir in 6 qts of sifted flour or more, enough to make a stiff dough, then put in a bread pan or deep bowl to rise over night. In the morning knead and put in pans. Let rise to the top of the pan. Put in hot oven, bake 45 minutes.
Grandmother’s Old Fashioned Yeast.
Wash pare and boil 6 large potatoes until soft. If the water boils away very much, add enough more to make about 3 pints. After removing the potatoes from the kettle, add to the water in which they were boiled a very small pinch of hops. The water should be but slightly colored. Let the water boil hard for 10 minutes, now take a large pitcher or earthen crock which will hold 2 to 3 quarts. Put the potatoes in the pitcher and mash them smooth. Then add ¹⁄₂ cup of flour, the same of sugar and a tablespoon of salt, being sure to rub out all the lumps. Place a fine strainer in the top of pitcher and as the hop water boils, add 1 or 2 cups of water and stir again until all is smooth. Then add the rest of the water. There should be about 2 quarts of yeast. When just warm add ¹⁄₂ cake of magic yeast. 1 cup will raise a sponge for 5 or 6 loaves. This yeast should be as thick as thin cream and about the color. This yeast will rise very quickly and when it begins to foam, stir 2 or 3 times. Do not bottle yeast but keep in the pitcher and place a saucer over the top. Keep in a cool place in winter and in the refrigerator in summer. It will keep sweet for two or three weeks.
Whole Wheat Bread.
Take 1 Fleischmann yeast cake, dissolved in 1¹⁄₂ cups of lukewarm water. 1¹⁄₂ cups of milk, scald and cool. Then add 2 tablespoons of lard or butter melted. 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1¹⁄₂ teaspoons of salt, 7¹⁄₂ cups of whole wheat flour, stir until a stiff dough. Then place in a deep bowl to rise over night and in the morning mould out in tins let rise again. Then put in the oven to bake 1 hour, bake slower than white bread.