GAS OVENS AND BREAD MAKING

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 744, 17 August 1929, Page 24

GAS OVENS AND BREAD MAKING

Many women who use gas cookers find they get indifferent results when baking bread. Perhaps the following hints may help to overcome the difficulty.

Half-quartern loaves take about 40 minutes to bake in a good gas oven, and other standard sizes in proportion. To get the oven in condition, turn the gas full on for a quarter of an hour before putting in the dough. and space out the shelves, keeping the browning shelf at the top. In arranging the bread in the oven, place the loaves as much as possible in the centre of the shelves. Turn the flame down to about half an inch when ail are in, gradually reduce it every ten minutes or so, and turn it out five minutes before the bread is cooked. If double the quantity of bread is desired, the dough can be set over night, the pan being left covered in a warm kitchen. Gas ovens “brown” nicely, but do not let this fact mislead you as to a properly baked loaf. Always tap the loaves: if they sound hollow, they are well baked. To prevent sogginess in gas-baked bread, put the loaves on a wire sieve in a warm place. And when making it, always warm the basins and flour. You will be surprised to find how much lighter the loaves turn out and how much longer they keep fresh and moist.