Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled during Her Visit Part 21

1/2 cup floured raisins (seeded).

Put in a good-sized bread pan and bake on hour in a moderate oven.

Strange as it may seem, this bread is lighter and better if allowed to stand a half hour before being placed in the oven to bake.

FRAU SCHMIDTS "QUICK BREAD"

The Professor's wife seldom used any liquid except water to set a sponge for bread. She seldom used any shortening. She taught Mary to make bread by the following process, which she considered superior to any other. From the directions given, housewives may think more time devoted to the making of a couple of loaves of bread than necessary; also, that too great a quant.i.ty of yeast was used; but the bread made by "Frau Schmidt" was excellent, quickly raised and baked.

The whole process consumed only about four hours' time, and how could time be more profitably spent than in baking sweet, crusty loaves of bread, even in these strenuous days when the efficient housekeeper plans to conserve strength, time and labor?

First, two Fleischman's compressed yeast cakes were placed in a bowl and dissolved with 4 tablespoonfuls of luke-warm water; she then added 1 cup of lukewarm water, 1/2 tablespoonful of sugar and 1/2 teaspoonful of salt and stirred all well together. The bowl containing this yeast foam was allowed to stand in a warm place, closely covered, one hour.

At the end of that time the yeast mixture should be light and foamy.

It was then poured into the centre of a bowl containing about 4-1/2 cups of _warmed_ flour, mixing the foamy yeast with a _portion_ of the flour to make a soft sponge, leaving a wall of flour around the inside edge of bowl, as our grandmothers used to do in olden times when they mixed a sponge for bread of liquid flour and yeast, in one end of the old-fas.h.i.+oned wooden "dough tray," using a wooden stick or small paddle for stirring together the mixture.

The bowl containing the sponge was placed in a warm place to rise. In about 15 or 20 minutes 1/2 cup of lukewarm water was added to the sponge, stirring in all the outside wall of flour until a dough, the proper consistency for bread, was formed. The dough was turned out on the molding board and given a couple of quick, deft turns with the hands for several minutes, then placed in the bowl and again set to rise in a warm place, free from draughts, for 25 or 30 minutes. When light, with hands slightly greased with b.u.t.ter, she kneaded the dough a short time, until smooth and elastic, divided the dough into two portions, placed each loaf in warmed, well-greased bread pans and stood in a warm place about 1/4 hour. Then turned the contents of bread pans onto bake-board, one at a time. Cut each loaf into three portions, rolled each piece into long, narrow strips with the palms of the hands. Pinched ends of the three strips together and braided or plaited them into a braid almost the length of bread pan. Placed each braided loaf in a bread pan and set to raise as before. When well-raised, brush the top of loaves with melted b.u.t.ter. Bake about three-quarters of an hour in a moderately-hot oven. An old-fas.h.i.+oned way of testing the heat of the oven was to hold the hand in the oven while counting thirty. Should one be unable to bear the heat of oven a longer time, then the temperature was correct for baking bread. Should one be able to allow the hand to remain in the oven a longer time, the heat of the oven should be increased.

As a result of carefully following these minute directions, even an inexperienced housewife should have sweet, wholesome bread.

Frau Schmidt insisted that rolling portions of dough separately before combining in a loaf, as for braided loaves, caused the bread to have a finer texture than if just shaped into round loaves.

AN "OATMEAL LOAF"

For a loaf of oatmeal bread, place 1 cup of crushed oats, or common oatmeal, in a bowl, pour over 1/2 cup of hot milk. When luke warm, add 1 cup of sponge, or batter, reserved from that raised over night for making loaves of white bread; 1 teaspoonful b.u.t.ter, 1 teaspoonful sugar and 1/2 teaspoonful salt, and about 2 scant cups of white flour.

Knead a few minutes, set to rise in a warm place, closely covered, about one hour or until doubled in bulk. Then knead down and form into a shapely loaf, place in a pan, brush melted b.u.t.ter over lop (this improves crust), and when raised, doubled in bulk (in about one hour), place in a moderately hot oven and bake from 40 to 45 minutes. Raisins may be added to this loaf, if liked. Mary preferred this oatmeal loaf to graham bread.

The sponge or batter from which this oatmeal-loaf was made had been prepared in the following manner:

To 1-1/2 cups of luke-warm potato water was added 1 teaspoonful of sugar, 1 cake of yeast; when dissolved, add 1-1/2 cups of white bread flour. Beat all together well, stand closely-covered in a warm place until the following morning. From one cup of this sponge was made one oatmeal loaf, and to the other cup of sponge white flour was added for a loaf of white bread or rolls.

AUNT SARAH'S WHITE BREAD (SPONGE METHOD)

Prepare the following "Yeast Sponge" at noon, the day preceding that on which you bake bread: Place in a bowl (after the mid-day meal) 1 quart of potato water (containing no salt), in which potatoes were boiled; also two medium-sized, finely-mashed potatoes, 1 tablespoonful of sugar and, when luke warm, add 1 cup of good home-made or baker's yeast. Mix all well together; then divide this mixture and pour each half into each of two 1-quart gla.s.s fruit jars. Place covers tightly on jars and shake each jar well, to mix yeast and potato-water thoroughly. Stand yeast in a warm place near the kitchen range over night. Jars should be _covered only_ with a napkin. The sponge should become light and foamy. In the morning use this freshly-prepared yeast to set sponge for bread.

When preparing to set bread, place in a large bowl 1 pint of potato water, 1 tablespoonful of sugar, 1 pint of the yeast sponge, 1/2 teaspoonful of salt, and use about 3 pounds of sifted flour, well-dried and warmed. Knead from 15 to 20 minutes, until a stiff dough is formed. The dough should be fine-grained and elastic and not stick to bake board. Place dough in the bowl to rise; this should lake about four hours. When well-risen and light knead down and set to rise again, about 1-1/2 hours. When light, mold into three large, shapely loaves; place in pans and allow to stand one hour. When loaves have doubled in bulk, are very light and show signs of cracking, invert a pan over top of loaves (if that was not done when loaves were put in pans), and place in a rather hot oven to bake. Brush melted b.u.t.ter over loaves of bread when set to rise, it will cause bread to have a crisp crust when baked. The old-fas.h.i.+oned way of testing the heat of an oven was to hold the hand in the oven, if possible, while one counted thirty.

The pint of yeast remaining in jar may be kept in a cool place one week, and may be used during this time in making fresh "yeast foam."

This should always be prepared the day before baking bread. Always prepare double the quant.i.ty of "yeast foam." Use half to set bread, and reserve half for next baking. Bread baked from this recipe has frequently taken first prize at County Fairs and Farmers' Picnics.

When baking bread, the oven should be quite hot when bread is first placed therein, when the bread should rise about an inch; then the heat of the oven should he lessened and in a half hour a brown crust should begin forming; and during the latter part of the hour (the time required for baking an ordinary-sized loaf) the heat of the oven should be less, causing the bread to bake slowly. Should the heat of the oven not be great enough, when the loaves are placed within for baking, then poor bread would be the result. This method of making bread will insure most satisfactory results, although more troublesome than ordinary methods.

RECIPE FOR "PULLED BREAD"

Take a Vienna loaf of bread, twelve-hours old, cut away all the crust with a clean-cut knife, then break away gently (with your fingers only) small finger-lengths of the bread, place in a moderate oven and brown a golden brown, and it is ready to serve. 'Tis said six loaves will be required for one pound of this pulled bread. 'Tis easily prepared in the home, but quite costly, when purchased. Many people prefer "pulled bread" to fresh bread, as it is more wholesome.

AUNT SARAH'S "HUTZEL BROD"

2 pounds dried pears.

2 pounds dried prunes.

2 quarts juice of fruit and water.

1 pound dried currants.

1 pound seeded raisins.

1 pound blanched and shredded almonds.

1 pound chopped English walnut meats.

1-1/2 ounces finely-shredded citron.

1-1/2 ounces orange peel.

1/2 ounce chopped figs.

1 ounce ground cinnamon.

1/4 ounce ground cloves.

2-1/2 ounces anise seed.

6 pounds flour (warmed and sifted).

2 cakes compressed yeast.

1-1/2 cups sugar.

1 large tablespoon b.u.t.ter.

1 tablespoon salt.

4 tablespoons brandy or sherry.

The whole recipe will make 12 loaves of bread.

This delicious German bread was usually made by "Aunt Sarah" one week before Christmas. It may be kept two weeks, and at the end of that time still be good. It is rather expensive as regards fruit and nuts, but as no eggs are used, and a very small quant.i.ty of b.u.t.ter; and as bread containing fruit is so much more wholesome than rich fruit cake.

I think American housewives would do well to bake this German bread occasionally. Mary took one-fourth the quant.i.ty of everything called for in the recipe, except yeast. She used 3/4 of a cake of Fleischman's yeast and 1/4 of each of the other ingredients, and from these baked three loaves of bread. The prunes and pears should be covered with cold water at night and allowed to stand until the following morning, when, after stewing until tender, the juice should be drained from the fruit and water added to the fruit-juice to measure two quarts. Remove pits from prunes, cut pears and prunes in small pieces; stand aside. Clean currants and raisins, blanch and shred almonds, chop walnut meats, citron, orange peel and figs; add cinnamon, cloves and anise seed. Mix together flour and one quart of the fruit juice; add the compressed yeast cakes (dissolved in a little warm water), knead well, set a sponge as for ordinary bread; when raised, add the remaining quart of fruit juice, sugar, b.u.t.ter and salt. A small quant.i.ty of brandy or sherry may be added, but if not liked, fruit juice may be subst.i.tuted.

Add the remaining ingredients, and knead thoroughly. Allow dough to raise from two to three hours and when light form into loaves and allow to stand an hour, when bake. This quant.i.ty of dough should be made into twelve small loaves. Should the flour and liquid used be warmed before mixing, the dough will raise more quickly. It simplifies the work if the fruits and nuts be prepared the day before the bread is baked.

AUNT SARAH'S WHITE BREAD AND ROLLS

1 quart potato water.

1 mashed potato.

1 tablespoonful b.u.t.ter or lard.

1 tablespoonful sugar.

1 Fleischman yeast cake, or 1 cup good yeast.

1/2 tablespoonful salt.

Flour to stiffen (about three quarts).

At 9 o'clock in the evening put in a large bowl the mashed potato, the quart of luke-warm potato water (water in which potatoes were boiled for dinner), b.u.t.ter or sweet lard, sugar, salt, and mix with flour into a batter, to which add the Fleischman's or any good yeast cake, dissolved in a little luke-warm water. Beat well and stir in flour until quite stiff, turn out on a well-floured bake-board and knead well about 25 minutes, until the dough is smooth, fine-grained and elastic, and does not stick lo the bake-board or hands. Chop a knife through the dough several times; knead and chop again. This makes the bread finer and closer-grained, or, so Aunt Sarah thought. Knead in all the flour necessary when first mixing the bread. When sufficiently kneaded, form into a large, round ball of dough, rub all over with soft lard, or b.u.t.ter, to prevent forming a crust on top and keep from sticking to bowl, and set to rise, closely-covered with a cloth and blanket, in a warm place until morning. In the morning the bread should be very light, doubled in quant.i.ty. Take out enough dough for an ordinary loaf, separate this into three parts, roll each piece with the hand on the bake-board into long, narrow pieces. Pinch the three pieces together at one end and braid, or plait, into a narrow loaf.

Brush over top with melted b.u.t.ter; set to rise in a warm place in a bread pan, closely-covered, until it doubles in size--or, if preferred, mold into ordinary-shaped loaves, and let rise until doubled in size, when bake in a moderately-hot oven with steady heat.

Frequently, when the "Twist" loaves of bread were quite light and ready to be placed in the oven, Aunt Sarah brushed the tops with yolk of egg, or a little milk, then strewed "Poppy Seeds" thickly over. The poppy seeds give an agreeable flavor to the crust of the bread.

AUNT SARAH'S RAISED ROLLS (FROM BREAD DOUGH)

A portion of the white bread dough may be made into raised rolls.