Home-Made Bread

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 777, 11 June 1954, Page 32

Home-Made Bread

hard. to make, is excellent (as well as economical) to eat; and with very little practice can be as ordinary a job as making scones. Our modern stoves, with their controlled heat, have completely altered the business of home baking, as well as the fact that cakes of compressed yeast are easily available, either by post or on regular order from manufacturer or storekeeper. The dried yeast also makes excellent bread and is easy to keep on hand. The cakes of yeast weigh about 1% o0z.; and 2 level table spoons of dry yeast weigh one ounce. If you are using American recipes, remember that their yeast-cakes weigh about three-fifths of ours, approximately 34 oz. Grease your tins well, put in the loaf with any folds of creases underneath, so that the top is smooth. If milk is used it must first be scalded and then cooled to luke-warm, or it may turn sour during the rising. All liquid used MUST be only luke-warm. Temperatures for baking are generally 425 degrees to 450 degrees, top element low, bottom medium; or gas regulo 7; though many people like to start at 450 degrees and after 19 to 15 minutes reduce the heat. A 2 Ib. loaf takes approximately 45 minutes, but all times and temperatures given must always be regarded as guides only, because individual conditions differ in almost every home. You should write to the Department of Agriculture for their booklet on bread making or to the yeast Sonny for their recipe book. tom bread is not | Individual Experience This will give you a good technique after a couple of bakings. Each. person finds her own best way from the general principles. One woman writes: "One rounded tablespoon of dried yeast is just right for 8 breakfast cups sifted flour. It must be sifted flour, for I found that it was nearly a whole cup more when it wasn’t sifted; and of course the flour must be warmed, Flours do differ-some absorb more moisture-so you see you must use a bit of individual experience." Wharepuhunga Bread This was much in demand when I gave it over the air. It was sent by a mother of 5 children who made bread quite happily every day. The ferment: Three dessertspoons dried yeast, 3 dessertspoons sugar, 3 dessertspoons flour or wholemeal, 1 pint warm water. Mix this and let stand until required. Can be used within 4% hour. Now put into a bowl 8 cups flour or wholemeal and 4 teaspoons salt. Add the ferment to the flour and use more warm water for mixing until mixture leaves sides of bowl clean. Turn on to floured board and knead 5 minutes. Put into greased tins -and let rise until double size, then bake. ‘White Bread _ Mix a cake of compressed yeast in a small basin with 2 teaspoons sugar. Add _ ~Y4 cup milk and water warmed to blood heat. Leave a few minutes to rise, Put 8 large cups flour and 1 dessertspoon salt into a basin, and pour risen yeast into a | hole in middle of the flour. Add enough milk and water (half and half) warmed : to blood heat to mix to scone-like consistency. Cover with cloth and put in ware place to rise until double size.

Flour a baking board and _ knead dough well, using the heel of the hand and adding flour as

necessary. Put into greased tins and allow to stand 1% hour, covered, till it rises again. Cook in a medium oven about an hour. Bread Rolls One ounce compressed or dried yeast, 2 Ib. flour well sifted to make it light, 1 pint luke-warm water, 1 oz. sweetened condensed milk and 1 oz. salt. Dissolve yeast in a very little of the water, add sweetened condensed milk and salt in balance of water. Make up the whole now into a fairly free dough. This dough with condensed milk must not be "tight." Let rise for 2 hours. Then punch down and leave a further 12 hour. Now mould into shapes for loaves or rolls. Let rise again, well covered, until light and bake in a fairly sharp oven. It is usual to wash this milk bread-or the rolls-with a little egg and milk before setting in the oven, Wanganui Bread Cream 1/2 oz. yeast and 1 dessertspoon brown sugar. Put to warm 3 large cups white flour, 2 large cups wholemeal, 1 dessertspoon salt. Have ready plenty of luke-warm water. Make a hole in the flour, pour in yeast and sugar mixed with 2 large cups water. Mix well, adding more water till a nice soft dough. Knead till velvety and springy, like rubber. Leave in a warm place 2-3 hours. Knead. Put in greased warmed tins, leave another hour till about nearly double in size. Bake in hot oven. Mary’s Bread Take 6 cups pure wholemeal, 2 teaspoons salt, and sift. Mix 2 teaspoons of dried yeast and 2142-3 cups milk (blood heat) with 2 teaspoons honey. Make sure it is well dissolved, and add this to the flour and salt. Mix to a scone consistency, turn out, knead a little, and replace in basin leaving in a warm place for 2 hours or until it doubles in size. Turn out and knead: well. Form into loaves and leave again for 34-1 hour in a warm place. Bake in moderate oven % to 1 hour. Baking Powder Bread Four cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, small cold boiled potato, milk, or milk and water, 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder, 4% teaspoon sugar. Sift together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, then rub in potato. Add _ sufficient liquid (about a pint) to make a soft and smooth dough. Mix quickly, put at once into a greased tin % full, smooth the top with a knife dipped in melted butter, and bake immediately 34 to 1 hour in a hot oven. Cover over with paper for first 10 or 15 minutes to prevent crusting too soon, When done take from tin and wrap in bread cloth until cold.