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be ready for use in an hour. Twice the quantity of this 

 yeast is required ; and it must be used as soon as it is 

 light, which will be the case when it looks frothy, and 

 the bread baked immediately. Bread made of this dries 

 soon, but is very good.* 



Having got good yeast, the next steps are as follows: 

 For a family of four or five persons, where the baking is 

 done but once a week, take twenty-one quarts of flour, 

 (which will weigh twenty-one pounds;) put it into a pan 

 or trough large enough to hold double the above quantity 

 of flour. Make a deep hole in the middle of the flour; 

 pour into it a half pint of the hop yeast described above, 

 having previously mixed the yeast in a pint of lukewarm 

 water well stirred ; then with a spoon stir into this liquid 

 as much of the surrounding flour as will make a thin 

 batter. This will leave a large part of the whole mass 

 of flour perfectly dry, with a small island of soft batter 

 in the centre. This is called "setting the sponge" 

 Sprinkle on the top of this " sponge " a little dry flour. 

 Then cover the whole over with a warm cloth, either 

 flannel or thick cotton, and set it by the fire in winter, or 

 where the sun is shining in summer. The leaven con- 

 tained in the batter will thus be spread to all the flour. 



Let the whole mass stand till it has swelled and risen, 

 so as to form cracks on the outside ; then scatter over it 

 two table-spoonfuls of fine salt. 



The next step is to make the mass into dough. This 

 is done as follows: Take four quarts of soft water, as 

 warm as milk in summer, a little warmer than milk if in 

 winter ; add the water by degrees to the flour till it is all 

 thoroughly moistened, stirring it with your hands. Now 

 knead it with your fists till it becomes smooth and stiff, 

 and that not a particle of it will stick to your hands. Do 



To mftk Pftata Tout, <* ptf 1C3. For H**furut* Ytatt, Me indw 



