Bread by Scalding the Flour.—Pour enough boiling water on two quarts of flour to wet it thoroughly; add two even table-spoonfuls of butter; stir all well together, and let it stand till cool; then add a small cup of domestic yeast, or not quite a penny’s worth of bakers’ yeast; mold it fifteen minutes, then set by the fire to rise. When it begins to crack on top, put it on the molding-board, beat it with the rolling-pin, and chop and mold alternately for twenty minutes; then make into loaves, prick them on top, and set them by the fire to rise once more. As soon as light, bake. Bread made in this way is not quite so white, but is very sweet and light. If flour is at all inclined to “run,” the scalding will stop it.
To make Stale Bread fresh.—Put the loaf into a clean tin, and cover closely to exclude all water, and set into a steamer or a kettle of boiling water for half an hour; then remove it from the tin and it will look like fresh bread, and be really almost equal to a new loaf.
Graham Bread.—Two quarts of unbolted wheat, half a cent’s worth of bakers’ yeast, or half a teacup of home-made yeast; two table-spoonfuls of molasses, one even teaspoonful of salt, and warm water or milk and water enough to make a stiff dough. Beat this well, or, wetting your hands in water, mix it very thoroughly; cover closely, and let it rise light,—about six hours in warm weather, or in winter mix just before going to bed. When it is light, wet your hands in cold water and put it into well-buttered pans. Let it rise in the pans about an inch; an hour will generally be long enough. Bake an hour and a half, or until it is very well baked, but not scorched.
Or, take three small cups of the sponge from your wheat bread; when well risen add to it two spoonfuls of molasses, half a teacup of Indian meal, one teaspoonful of salt, and half a pint of warm milk and water; stir in enough Graham flour to make a stiff dough, and cover closely and set to rise. When light, fill your pans half full; let it rise once more, and bake carefully.
Or, pour boiling water over one quart of Graham flour; add a teaspoonful of salt, three table-spoonfuls of molasses. Let it stand till lukewarm; then add half a cup of home-made yeast, or part of a penny’s worth of bakers’ yeast; dip your hands in cold water, and mix it thoroughly. If too stiff, add more warm water. If too thin, mix in more flour. It should not be so stiff as for fine flour bread. Let it rise light; then put it into well-buttered pans to rise again. When light, bake one hour. It requires a hotter oven and needs to bake longer than other bread.
Or, one quart of flour, one teaspoonful of salt, three table-spoonfuls of molasses, and two table-spoonfuls of yeast; wet with warm water, or warm milk and water, till as thick as pound-cake. If wanted for breakfast, let it stand overnight. When ready to bake, add a well-beaten egg and a teaspoonful of soda; put into buttered pans and bake well.
Or, one quart of buttermilk or sour milk, soda enough to make it foam, and while foaming pour it on the Graham flour, stirring it together quickly. The flour should be all ready in the pan, and one teaspoonful of salt, and a scant half-teacup of molasses stirred into it before the soda is put to the buttermilk. Make it as thick as pound-cake; bake immediately one hour with a steady hot fire; add a well-beaten egg if in a hurry for your bread, as it will bake sooner, and we think be lighter for it.
Steamed Brown Bread.—One cup of Indian meal, two cups of rye, one cup of molasses, two cups of milk, a half-teaspoonful of soda, the same of salt. Stir well together and steam in some of the new “boilers” or “cookers” or “steamers” three hours; taking care that the water does not stop boiling. Add boiling water as the water boils away. If you wish it hot for breakfast, steam the day before, and in the morning set it in the oven for half an hour to form a good crust.
Corn Bread.—Sift two cups of Indian meal overnight; pour on it just enough really boiling water to moisten or wet it through; cover it up and let it stand till morning; then add one cup of flour in which an even teaspoonful of cream of tartar has been sifted. Dissolve half a teaspoonful of soda in one cup of sweet milk, and stir with the meal and flour; add half a small cup of sugar; beat two eggs—yelks and whites separately—and put in the last thing. Bake in a quick oven.
Rice Bread (Southern Receipt).—One pint of rice flour, half a pint of wheat flour, one pint of sour milk, two eggs, butter half the size of an egg, and one teaspoonful of soda. The rice flour must be very fine, and stirred in after the other ingredients are partly mixed. Bake as soon as possible after the whole is stirred together.