816 AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



in a cool place. One pint of this yeast is sufficient for 

 121bs. of bread. 



Making the Bread. To make, say 151bs. of bread, use 

 water slightly warm, say of 80 degrees in cool weather, and 

 colder water in warm weather. Put 2 quarts water, or 

 skimmed milk if it can be got from a butter factory, and 

 1 pint yeast and sufficient salt into a dish. Add flour 

 sufficient to make a thin batter ; beat it up until thoroughly 

 mixed ; do not spare the beating at this stage. This is the 

 " sponge," and when it is tough and elastic, and fine with 

 beating and working, tuck it in nicely with flour from the 

 sides of the dish, and cover it over with a cloth and place 

 it in a warm or cool place (according to the weather). A 

 good " sponge " will spring or rise three or four inches dur- 

 ing the night ; in cool weather it takes longer. When ripe, 

 turn the sponge out upon a table, into the flour necessary 

 to make oread say 81bs. flour if we are making 151bs. of 

 bread. It may be home-made flour, or pollard, or bran, or 

 coarser flour, or maize meal may be added at this stage. 

 Mix it until the dough is just stiff enough not to stick ; work 

 it well ; don't spare elbow-exercise that is one of the 

 secrets of bread-making. Form the well worked dough 

 into any desired shape or size for loaves pans are the best 

 for baking and let them stand until it rises an inch or 

 so ; then put into the oven and bake. 



Camp Bread. A bit of dough the size of the fist, put 

 away in a cool place, in flour, will keep for three or four 

 days, and make good bread. To use it, mix up the dough 

 in about 3 pints warm water ; mix them thoroughly ; then 

 add a tablespoonful of sugar, with salt and flour, and mix 

 up the sponge as in the former case, and make it into bread 

 in the same way. This can be repeated in warm weather 

 until the bread begins to have a sourish taste ; and this 

 again can be corrected by adding a little baking-soda, until 

 compelled again to make yeast. 



The Oven. In the bush, this is an important part of 

 successful home life. " Is marriage a failure ?" has a serious 

 look in the face of a bad oven. The so-called " camp-oven " 

 is simply a flat-bottomed iron pot, with a lid less or more 

 hollowed to hold fire or ashes. The dough, when ready for 



