Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Household Management Part 40

(1) Mixing (stirring, beating, and kneading).-- (_a_) This mixes the ingredients. (_b_) It incorporates air to aid the yeast plant and to act as a lightening agent. (_c_) It makes the gluten elastic.

(2) First rising.--This allows the yeast plants conditions and time to produce carbonic acid gas, until the dough is distended to twice its original size.

(3) Moulding.--(_a_) This distributes the gas evenly throughout the loaf. (_b_) It shapes the loaf.

(4) Second rising.--This again allows the yeast plants time to produce gas which will distend the dough to twice its size.

(5) Baking.--(_a_) The heat of the oven expands the air and gas in the dough, which causes the gluten framework to distend. (_b_) The water changes to steam, which becomes another agent in distending the gluten. (_c_) The starch on the outside of the loaf becomes brown in the dry heat of the oven, while the inside starch is made soluble in the moist heat of the mixture. (_d_) The gluten stiffens into the distended shape. (_e_) The yeast plants are killed.

In this lesson, after deciding on the necessary ingredients, the pupils may be told the amount of each to use for their cla.s.s work. They should then measure and mix these ingredients and set the dough away for the first rising. While the bread is rising, the kitchen may be put in order and the other steps of the process reasoned out and written.

Other school work must be taken then, until the dough has fully risen, when the process may be completed. After each stage of the process has been carried out, the notes on it may be written.

With the foregoing principles of bread-making in mind, the cla.s.s should be able to make any bread mixture. Each pupil should have entire responsibility for the process of making one small loaf of plain bread.

About half a cup of liquid, mixed with the other necessary ingredients, makes a good-sized loaf for practice. Smaller loaves than this give little chance for manipulation.

In Household Management centres, where the pupils come from other schools for the lesson period only, the process will have to be divided into two lessons. The first lesson may include the first two stages--mixing and first rising--each pupil using small quant.i.ties, say for one eighth of a loaf of the ordinary size. At the end of the lesson, they may carry their dough home for completion, or it may be used by another cla.s.s which is ready for the later steps of the process.

The second lesson will include the last three steps--moulding, second rising, and baking--and it will be necessary for the teacher to have dough prepared for the moulding stage when the cla.s.s arrives.

LESSON III

FANCY BREADS

These mixtures are but variations of plain bread. The extra ingredients, such as milk, eggs, b.u.t.ter, spices, sugar, currants, raisins, peel, etc., are added at the most convenient stage of the process.

NOTE.--If there is not time to have one fancy bread, such as Parker House rolls or currant bread, made in school, recipes for these may be discussed in cla.s.s and the work done at home.

THE BREAD-MIXER

1. This utensil mixes and beats the bread by means of a large beater turned with a handle, thus avoiding the use of the hands for this purpose.

2. It does this work with less energy and in a much shorter time than if the hands were used.

3. It can be used only for the first two steps of bread-making, namely, _mixing_ and _first rising_.

4. The ingredients must all be put in at once; hence, they must be accurately measured.

5. The amount of ingredients may be learned by calculation from previous bread-making done in the old way, or by using the book of recipes accompanying each mixer.

NOTE.--There are several good kinds of bread-mixers which may be bought in three sizes. Small size makes 1 to 2 loaves and costs $1.35 (about). Medium size makes 2 to 6 loaves and costs $2.00 (about). Large size makes 4 to 10 loaves and costs $2.50 (about).

PASTRY

Pastry is one of the simplest flour mixtures, and one that has the lowest food value. The intimate blending of b.u.t.ter or lard with the flour envelopes the starch grains with fat, and makes the mixture difficult to digest. The same thing occurs in frying food and in b.u.t.tering hot toast; so the idea is not a new one to the cla.s.s.

In introducing the lesson on pastry, this principle of digestion should be reviewed, and it should be made plain that delicate pudding and seasonable fruits are a much better form of dessert.

There are no new principles to teach, but some old ones to impress. The object of the housekeeper should be to make a mixture that is light and one that will fall to pieces easily. To ensure the latter, anything that would toughen the gluten must be avoided.

From the bread lesson, the pupils have learned that working the water into the gluten or much handling of flour after it is wet, makes a mixture firm and tough. In pastry there must be enough gluten to stick the ingredients together, but its elastic quality is undesirable. For the latter reason also, a small amount of water is used.

In the cake mixtures, it was found that the use of fat in the "b.u.t.ter cakes" made the framework tender and easily broken, so in pastry the same means may be employed. Fat of some kind is mixed with the flour to act on the gluten and destroy its toughness.

Air and steam are the only lightening agents commonly used in pastry.

Since cold air occupies less room than warm air and admits of more expansion, it is desirable that the mixture be kept very cold. The low temperature also prevents the fat melting; hence, the necessity for the use of cold utensils and materials throughout the process.

OUTLINE OF LESSON ON PASTRY

1. Ingredients:

(1) Flour, (2) salt, (3) fat, (4) water.

2. Notes on flour:

(1) Use only pastry flour, which will have a small amount of gluten.

(2) After the flour is wet, handle the mixture as little as possible, to avoid working the water into the gluten and making it tough.

3. Notes on fat:

(1) Fat is used to destroy the elasticity of the gluten, so that it will not be tough when cooked.

(2) b.u.t.ter, lard, or dripping may be used.

(3) Lard makes more tender pastry than b.u.t.ter.

(4) b.u.t.ter gives the best flavour.

(5) Half b.u.t.ter and half lard makes a good mixture.

(6) Layers of fat may be put in between layers of pastry, to separate it into flakes.

(7) If two fats are used, the softer is cut into the flour, and the harder one laid on the paste and folded in.

4. Notes on water:

(1) Use the water as cold as possible.

(2) Use the least amount of water necessary to make the ingredients adhere.

5. Lightening agents used in pastry:

(1) Air.--(_a_) This should be as cold as possible. (_b_) The air may he folded in, between layers of pastry.