VoL. IV. AUGUSTA, GA., NOVEMBER, 1846. No. 11. 
A CHAPTER OX BaEAB-HAKSIVG. 
From Miss Beecher’s Domestic Recipe Book. 
OVENS. 
On conslrucling and heating an oven. — The 
best ovens are usually made thus: After the 
arch is formed, four or five bushels of ashes are 
spread over it, and then a covering of charcoal 
over that, and then another layer of bricks over 
all. The use of this is, that the ashes become 
heated, and the charcoal being a non-conductor, 
the heat is retained much longer. In such an 
oven, cakes and pies can be baked after the j 
bread is taken out, and then custards after them. 
Sometimes four bakings aredone in succession. 
The first time an oven is used, it should be heat- 
ed the day previous for half a day, and the oven 
lid kept up after the fire is out, till heated for 
baking. As there is so little discretion to be 
found in those who heat ovens, the housekeep- 
er will save much trouble and mortification by 
this arrangement : Have oven wood prepaied 
of sticks cf equal size and length. Find, by 
trial, how many are required to heat the oven, 
and then require that just that number be used, 
and no more. The fire must be made the back 
side of the oven, and the oven must be heated 
so hot as to allow it to be closed fifteen minutes 
after clearing, before the heat is reduced enoush 
to use it. This is called 5oaA:mg. Ifitisburnt 
down entirely to ashes, the oven may be used as 
soon as cleared. 
IToiu to knoio when an ovenis at the right heat. 
— An experienced cook will know without 
rules. For a novice, the follow’ing rules are ot 
some use in determining; If the black spots in 
the oven are not burnt off, it is not hot, as the 
bricks must all look red. If you sprinkle flour 
on the bottom, and it burns quickly, it is too hot. 
If you cannot hold your hand in longer than to 
count twenty moderately, it is hot enough. If 
you can count thirty moderately, it is hot 
enough for bread. These last are not very ac- 
curate tests, as the power to bear heat is so di- 
verse in different persons, but they are as good 
rules as can be given, where there has been no 
experience. 
How to know when bread u sour or heavy. — If 
the bread is sour, on opening it quick and deep- 
ly with your fingers, and applying the nose to 
the opening, a tingling and sour odor escapes. 
This is remedied b) takinjr a tea spoon full of 
saleratus for every four quarts of flour, very tho- 
roughly dissolved in hot water, which is to be 
put in a hole made in the middle, and very tho- 
roughly kneaded in, or there will be yellow 
streaks. If the bread is light and not sour, it 
will, on opening it deep and suddenl 3 q send forth 
a pungent and brisk, but not a sour odor, and it 
will look full ofholes, like sponge. Some may 
mistake the smell of light bread for that of sour 
bread, but a little practice will show the differ- 
ence very plaiily. If the bread is light before 
the oven is ready, knead it a little without ad- 
ding flour, and set it in a cool place. If it rises 
too much, it loses all sweetness, and nothing but 
care and experience will prevent this. The 
bestof flour will not make sweet bread, if it is 
allowed to rise too much, even when no sour- 
ness is induced. 
How to treat breoA when taken from the oven . — 
Never set it flat on a table, as it sweats the bot- 
tom, and acquires a bad taste from the table. 
Always take it out of the tins, and set it up end 
way, leaning against something. It it has a 
thick, hard crust, wrap it in a cloth wrung out 
ot cold water. Keep it in a tin box, in a cool 
place, where it will not freeze. 
YEAST. 
The article in which yeast is kept must, when 
new yeast is made, or fresh yeast bought, be 
scalded and emptied, and then have a salt spoon 
full ot saleratus put in, and be rinsed out again 
with warm water. If it is glass, rinsing twice 
with warm water will answer. Junk bottles 
are best for holding yeast, because they can be 
corked tight, and easily cleansed. 
Potato Yeast. — By those who use potato yeast, 
it is regarded as much the best, as it raises 
bread quicker than common home-brewed yeast, 
and, best.of all, never imparts the sharp, dis- 
agreeable yeast taste to bread or cake, often 
given by hop yeast. Mash half a dozen peeled, 
boiled potatoes, and mi.x in a hand full of wheat 
flou', ar.d two tea spoons full of salt, and alter 
putting it through a colander, add hot water tid 
it is a batter. When blood warm, put in a half 
a tea cup of distillery yeast, cf twice as much 
potato or other home-brewed. When raised, 
keep it corked tight, and make it new very of- 
ten in hot weather. It can be easily made 
when potatoes are boiied lordinner. 
Honie-raoAe yeast, which wiV keep good a month. 
— Four quarts ot water, two hands full of hops, 
eight peeled potatoes, sliced, all boiled soft, 
mixed and strained through a sieve. To this 
add a batfer, made one-third of Indian and two- 
thirds of rye, in a pint of cold water, and then 
boil the whole ten minutes. When cool as 
new milk, add a tea cup of molasses, a table 
spoon full ot ginger, and a tea cup of distillery 
yeast, or twice as much home-brev/ed. 
Home brewed yeast more easily m.ade. — Boil a 
hand full ot hops half an hour in three pints of 
water. Pour half of it, boiling hot, through a 
sieve, on to nine spoons full of flour, mix, and 
then add the rest of the hop water. Add a spoon 
lull of salt, half a cup of molasses, and when 
blood warm, a cup of yeast. 
Hardyeast. — This is often very convenient, 
especially lor hot weather, when it isdifficult to 
keep yeast. Take some ot the best yeast you 
can make, and thicken it with Indian meal, and 
if you have rye, add a little to make it adhere 
better. Make it into cakes an inch thick, and 
three inches by two in size, and dry it in a dry- 
ing wind, but not in the sun. Keep it tied in a 
bag, in a dry, cool place where it will not freeze. 
One of these cakes is enough for four quarts of 
flour. When you wish to use it, put it to soak 
in milk or water for several hours, and then ufe 
it like other yeast. 
Rubs, or flour hard yeast. — This is better than 
hardyeast made with Indian. Take two quarts 
ot best home-brewed yeast, and a table spoon 
full of salt, and mix in wdieat flour, so that it 
will be in hard lumps. Set it in a dry, warm 
place, (but not in the sun,) till quite dry. Then 
leave out the fine parts to use the next baking, 
and put up the lumps in a bag, and hang it in 
a dry place. In using this yeast, take a pint of 
the rubs for six quarts of flour, and let it soak 
from noon till nignt. Then wet up the bread to 
bake next day. Brew'er’s and distillery yeast 
cannot be trusted to make hard yeast. Home- 
brewed is the best, and some housekeepers say 
the only yeast for this purpose. 
Milk yeast. — One pint of new milk, and one 
tea spoon full of fine salt, one large spoon full 
of flour; mix, and keep it blood warm an hour. 
Use twice as muchas the commonyeast. Bread 
soon spoils made of this. 
BREAD. 
Wheat bread of ddstillery, or brewer's yeast . — 
Take eight quarts of flour and two of milk, a 
table spoon lull of salt, a gill and a half of dis- 
tillery yeast, and sometimes rather more, if not 
first rate. Take double the quantity of home- 
brewed yeast. Silt the flour, then make an 
opening in the middle, pour in a part of the wet- 
ting, and put in the salt. Then mix in a good 
part of the flour. Then pour in the yeast, and 
mix it well. Then add the rest ot the wetting, 
using up the flour, so as to make a stiff" dough. 
Knead it hall an hour, till it cleaves clean from 
the hand. This cannot be wet over night, as, 
if the yeast is good, it will rise in one or two 
hours. Some persons like bread best wet with 
water, but most very much prefer bread wet 
with milk. It you have skimmed milk, warm 
it with a small bit of butter, and it is nearly as 
good as new milk. You need about a quart of 
wetting to four quarts of flour. Each quart of 
flour makes a common sized loaf. 
Wheat bread of home-brewed yeast. — Sift eight 
quarts of flour into the kneading tray, make a 
deep hole in the middle, pour into it a pint of 
yeast, mixed with a pint ot lukewarm water, 
and then work up this with the surrounding 
flour, till it makes a thick batter Then scatter 
a hand lull of flour over this batter, lay a warm 
cloth over the whole, and set it in a warm place. 
Tills is called sponge. When the sponge is 
risen so as to make cracks in the flour over it, 
(which will be in from three to five hours,) then 
scatter over it two table spoons full of salt, and 
pul in about two quarts of wetting, w’arm, but 
not hot enough to scald the yeast, and sufficient 
to wet it. Be careful not to put in too much of the 
wetting at once. Knead the whole thoroughly 
for as much as half an hour, then form it into a 
round mass, scatter a little flour over it, cover 
it, and set it to rise in a warm place. It usual- 
ly will take about one quart of wetting to four 
quarts of flour. In winter, it is best to put the 
bread in sponge over night, when it must be 
kept warm all night. In summer, it can be put 
in sponge early in the morning, for if made over 
night it would become sour. 
Baker's Bread. — Take a gill of distillery yeast, 
or twice as much fresh home-brewed yeast, add 
a quart of warm (not hot) water, and flour 
enough to make a thin batter, and let it rise in a 
warm place all night. This is the sponge. 
Next day, pul seven quarts of sifted flour into 
the kneading tray, make a hole jn the center, 
and pour in the sponge. J hen dissolve a bit of 
volatile salts, and a bit of alum, each the size of 
a hickory-nut, and finely powdered, in a little 
cold water, and add it with a heaping table 
spoon full of salt, to the sponge, and also a 
quart more of blood-warm water. Work up 
the flour and wetting to a dough, knead it well, 
divide it into three or four loaves, prick it with 
a fork, put it in buttered pans, and let it rise one 
hour, and then bake it about an hour. A’dd 
more flour, or more water, as you find the dough 
too stiff" or too soft. A tea spoon full of sale- 
ratus can be used instead of the volatile salts 
and alum, but it is not so good. 
Wheat bread of potato yeast,— This is made 
