BREAD. 231 



in a moderately -warm place till it becomes light. Then add 

 Indian meal enough to make a stiif dough, knead thoroughly, 

 roll it out about a third of an inch thick, and cut into cakes 

 two inches square, dry in the sun, taking care to turn every 

 day and protect from wet. Yeast prepared in this way will 

 remain good a long time if kept in a dry place. 



Active yeast for immediate use may be made in this 

 way: boil and mash six good sized potatoes and strain them 

 through a coarse sieve or colander ; add a quart of boiling 

 water, and stir in a half-pint of flour and a tablespoonful of 

 sugar. When lukewarm add a cake of the above dry yeast 

 after soaking in warm water till soft. Set in a warm place till 

 it becomes light. It is then ready for use, and will remain 

 good for two weeks if kept in a cool place. 



The yeast being now ready, the operator begins to make her 

 bread. She first decides how large a batch her family needs. 

 Only so much should be baked at one time as is sure to be used 

 before it becomes sour or mouldy. This quantity will vary 

 according to the season of the year. In cool weather bread 

 will remain sweet much longer than in summer. Ten pounds 

 of flour, mixed with three quarts of water, will make about 

 fifteen pounds of bread, and in about that proportion for a 

 larger or smaller quantity. The good housewife takes the 

 needful quantity of warm water, and stirs in flour enough to 

 make a thin batter ; adds for the above amount a tablespoonful 

 of salt and a pint of yeast like that described above, and sets 

 where it will keep warm till it becomes light. The remaining 

 flour is then added, and the dough is set in a warm place to 

 rise. It should be kept about lukewarm. When nearly double 

 its original bulk it should be well kneaded, and put in the 

 baking pans, and stand in a warm place from fifteen to thirty 

 minutes, or till it begins to rise again, and then put into a 

 hot oven, and baked about one hour. It is well to manage so 

 that the heat of the oven may gradually diminish during the 

 baking. Much depends on the temperature of the oven. If 

 the heat be insufficient, the bread is sure to be soft and pasty in 

 the interior ; and if it be too great, tlie loaf gets a hard burnt 

 crust, and may seem to be well done while the middle is still 

 doughy. When the temperature is right, however, the loaf is 

 thoroughly cooked without the formation of a thick crust. 



