Bread was first made without leaven, heavy and solid. Then yeast
was discovered, and yeast-risen bread came into use throughout
the civilized world. Finally baking powder was devised, the most
healthful, economical, and convenient of all leavening or lightening
agents.
Yeast is a living plant. Mixed with the dough it causes fermentation
and destruction of a part of the flour, and this produces
carbonic-acid gas. The bubbles of this gas become entangled in the
dough, swelling it up and making it spongy. In this process, however,
a part of the most nutritious elements of the flour (estimated at
ten per cent.) is destroyed in producing the leavening gas; there is
always danger of sour dough, and there is a delay of many hours for
the sponge to rise.
Perfect bread is that in which wheat is transposed into an available
food without loss of any of its valuable properties.
Royal Baking Powder is now largely used in place of yeast to leaven
bread. It does precisely the same work—that is, swells up the dough
and makes it porous and spongy. But the process is not destructive:
the baking powder by itself produces the leavening gas. No part of
the flour is decomposed or destroyed. Moreover, there is no mixing or
kneading with the hands, no setting of sponge overnight, as the loaf
is mixed and ready for the oven at once. Bread thus made cannot sour,
but will retain its moisture and freshness, and may be eaten while hot
or fresh without distress even by persons of delicate digestion.
The ease with which Royal Baking Powder bread is made, its cleanliness
and healthfulness, have caused it to supersede yeast bread with many
of the best pastry cooks.
In making this bread the materials and utensils should be brought
together before the mixing of the dough is begun. The fire must be
looked to so as to secure a steady, moderate heat. Remember to mix
the flour and Royal Baking Powder together before sifting, and sift
thoroughly before wetting.
=Royal Baking Powder Bread.=—1 quart flour, 1 teaspoon salt,
½ teaspoon sugar, 2 heaping teaspoons Royal Baking Powder,*
½ medium-sized cold boiled potato, and water. Sift together thoroughly
flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder; rub in the potato; add
sufficient water to mix smoothly and rapidly into a stiff dough,
about the consistency of cake batter: about a pint of water to a
quart of flour will be required—more or less according to the brand
and quality of the flour used. Do not make a stiff dough as in yeast
bread. Put the dough into a greased pan 4½ by 8 inches, and 4 inches
deep, filling about half full. The loaf will rise to fill the pan when
baked. Bake in very hot oven about 45 minutes, placing paper over
first 15 minutes’ baking, to prevent crusting too soon on top. Bake
immediately after mixing.
* Perfect success can be had only with the Royal Baking Powder.
=Household Bread.=—Sift twice together 1 quart of flour, 1 teaspoon
salt, 2 heaping teaspoons Royal Baking Powder. Make a well in the
center; add gradually sufficient cold liquid—water, milk, or equal
quantities of each—to mix to a stiff batter or soft dough; this will
require about 1 pint of liquid. Turn at once into a greased loaf-pan
(fig. XII), smooth the top with a knife dipped in melted butter, and
bake immediately in a moderate oven about 1 hour. When done take
from the pan, moisten with the hand dipped in cold water, wrap in
bread-cloth till cold.
=Graham Unfermented Bread.=—1½ pints Graham flour, ½ pint flour, 1
tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 1¼
pints milk, or equal parts milk and water. Sift together Graham flour,
flour, sugar, salt, and powder; add the milk, or milk and water; mix
rapidly into soft dough, which put into greased tin (fig. XII). Bake
in rather hot oven about 40 minutes. Protect loaf with paper first 15
minutes.
=Brown Bread.=—1 pint Indian corn meal, 1 pint rye flour, 1 teaspoon
brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 1
tablespoon butter or lard, ¾ pint milk. Sift together corn meal, rye
flour, sugar, salt, and powder. Rub in the shortening; add the milk,
and mix the whole into a batter. Put into greased tin (fig. XII), and
bake about 40 minutes in rather hot oven. Protect at first with paper.
=Brown Bread, 2.=—Mix together 3 cups Graham flour, 1 cup wheat
flour, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon salt; rub in 1
tablespoon butter or other shortening. Beat 3 eggs; add 1 cup milk and
1 tablespoon molasses; stir into dry mixture. Add more milk if needed
to make a drop batter. Put into a greased loaf-pan (fig. XII), smooth
with knife dipped in cold water. Bake about 1 hour in moderate oven.
=Boston Brown Bread.=—½ pint flour, 1 pint Indian corn meal, ½ pint
rye flour, 2 potatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 2
teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, ½ pint water. Sift flour, corn meal,
rye flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together thoroughly. Peel,
wash, and boil well 2 mealy potatoes, rub them through a sieve,
diluting with water. When this is quite cold use it to mix flour,
etc., into a batter. Pour into well-greased mold (fig. VI) having a
cover. Place it in saucepan half full of boiling water, where the loaf
will simmer 1 hour, without water getting into it. Remove it, then
take off cover, finish by baking in fairly hot oven about 30 minutes.
=Boston Brown Bread, 2.=—1 cup corn meal, 2 heaping cups rye meal, 1
teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder, 1 cup
molasses. Mix dry ingredients; add molasses and 1 pint warm water;
beat smooth. Pour at once into greased mold (fig. VI) with cover,
steam or boil 3 hours. Uncover, set in oven 10 minutes.
=Boston Brown Bread, 3.=—2 cups yellow Indian corn meal, 1 cup rye
meal, 1 cup flour, 2 cups milk, 1 cup molasses, ½ teaspoon salt, 3
teaspoons Royal Baking Powder. Mix well together, pour into greased
brown-bread mold, steam 4 hours. Dry off 10 minutes in moderate oven.
=Norwegian Bread (for Dyspeptics).=—1 pint barley meal, ½ pint Graham
flour, ½ pint flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder,
1 pint milk. Sift together barley meal, Graham flour, flour, salt,
and powder; mix into firm batter with the milk; pour into greased tin
(fig. XII), bake in moderate oven about 40 minutes. Cover with paper
20 minutes.
=Oatmeal Bread.=—½ pint oatmeal, 1½ pints flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 3
teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, ¾ pint milk. Boil oatmeal in 1½ pints
salted water 1 hour; add milk; set aside until cold. Then place in
bowl, sift together flour, salt, and powder, and add. Mix smoothly and
deftly. Bake in greased tin (fig. XII) about 45 minutes, protected
with paper 20 minutes.
=Peculiars.=—1 pint flour, sifted with 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder
and a little salt; add 1 egg; mix with 1 pint sweet milk, beat well to
a batter, and bake quickly in buttered gem-pans already hot.
=Pennsylvania Brown Bread.=—Mix well together 1 quart Graham flour, 1
pint Indian corn meal, 2 scant teaspoons salt, 2 scant teaspoons Royal
Baking Powder. Dissolve 1 scant teaspoon soda in 1 teaspoon boiling
water; mix with 1 cup molasses. To the dry ingredients add 1 quart
cold water, then the molasses. Beat 1 minute, pour into 2 well-greased
molds, steam or boil 4 hours. Dry off on pan in moderate oven 10
minutes.
=Graham Lunch Bread.=—1½ pints Graham flour, ½ pint flour, 1
tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder,
¾ pint milk. Sift together Graham flour, flour, sugar, salt, and
powder; add the milk; mix into smooth dough that can be easily
handled. Flour the board, turn out dough, give it a quick, vigorous
additional kneading to complete its smoothness; then divide into four
large pieces, which form into long loaves, lay them just touching in a
square shallow cake-pan (fig. XIII), wash them over with milk. Bake in
rather hot oven 30 minutes. When removing from oven rub them over with
a little butter on a clean piece of linen.
=Corn Bread (New Orleans).=—1½ pints Indian corn meal, ½ pint flour,
1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 heaping teaspoons Royal
Baking Powder, 1 tablespoon butter or lard, 1¼ pints milk, 2 eggs.
Sift together corn meal, flour, sugar, salt, and powder; rub in the
shortening, add eggs (beaten) and the milk; mix into a moderately
stiff batter; pour from bowl into shallow cake-pan (fig. XIII). Bake
in rather hot oven 30 minutes.
=St. Charles Corn Bread.=—Beat 2 eggs, add 1 pint milk, 1 pint Indian
corn meal, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon
Royal Baking Powder. Beat hard 2 minutes, pour into greased pan (fig.
XIII), bake about 30 minutes in hot oven.
=Loaf Corn Bread.=—Scald 1 pint milk; dissolve in it 1 tablespoon
butter, ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt. While on fire sift in sufficient
Indian corn meal to make a thick mush, cook 5 minutes, and set away
till cold; add 3 beaten eggs, 2 cups flour mixed with 2 teaspoons
Royal Baking Powder, and turn into greased loaf-pan. Bake about 2
hours in moderate oven, and serve hot.
=Nonpareil Corn Bread.=—2 heaping cups Indian corn meal, 1 cup flour,
2½ cups milk, 1 tablespoon lard, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons
Royal Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon salt. Beat 2 eggs, whites and yolks
separately. Sift together dry ingredients, melt lard. Mix all
together, beat hard 1 minute, turn into greased shallow pan, and bake
about ½ hour in hot oven.
=Spider Corn Bread.=—Beat 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons sugar. Add 1
pint milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1⅓ cup Indian corn meal, ⅓ cup flour, 1
teaspoon Royal Baking Powder. In a spider melt 2 tablespoons butter;
turn so as to grease sides. Pour in batter, add 1 cup milk, but do not
stir. Bake about 30 minutes in hot oven. When done it should have a
streak of custard through the middle.
=Rice and Indian Bread.=—Beat 3 eggs very light; add 1 pint milk, 2
cups white Indian corn meal, 1 cup cold boiled rice, 2 tablespoons
melted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, ½ cup
more milk. Beat hard, bake in shallow greased pan in hot oven.
=Delicate Graham Bread (for Invalids).=—1 pint Graham flour, 1 pint
flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 of salt, 2 of Royal Baking Powder. Sift all
well together, rejecting coarse bran left in sieve; add 1½ pints milk.
Mix quickly into smooth, soft dough. Bake in 2 small greased tins
(fig. XII) 25 minutes. Protect with paper 10 minutes.
=Entire Wheat Bread.=—1 quart entire wheat flour, 1 teaspoon salt,
1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder. Sift all well
together; add sufficient liquid (water, milk, or equal quantities of
each) to mix to a very thick batter or soft dough. Turn at once into a
greased loaf-pan (fig. XII), smooth with knife dipped in cold water,
and bake about 1 hour in moderate oven.
=Rye Bread.=—1 pint rye flour, ½ pint Indian corn meal, ½ pint wheat
flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking
Powder, 1 tablespoon butter or lard, ¾ pint milk. Sift together
rye flour, corn meal, flour, sugar, salt, and powder; rub in the
shortening; add milk. Mix into smooth batter. Pour into well-greased
tin (fig. XII), bake in moderate oven about 45 minutes. Protect loaf
with paper first 20 minutes.
=Mush Bread.=—1 pint milk cooked in a double boiler, with sufficient
Indian corn meal to make a thick mush. Cook 1 hour; add 1 tablespoon
butter; stir, let cool; add 3 eggs, whites and yolks beaten
separately, 1 cup flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking
Powder. Turn into shallow greased pan, bake 40 minutes in moderate
oven.
=Rice Bread.=—1 cup cold boiled rice, 1 cup white Indian corn meal, 1
cup wheat flour, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder, 2 eggs, ½ teaspoon
salt, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 cup milk. Mix the dry ingredients;
add beaten eggs mixed with milk and the melted butter. Pour into
shallow greased pans. Bake 30 minutes in a moderate oven.
=Hominy Bread.=—Mix together 1 pint soft-boiled hominy, 1 teaspoon
salt, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 4 beaten eggs, 2 cups milk. Mix
together 1 cup flour, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder; add to batter,
with more flour if needed to mix to a drop batter. Beat hard, bake in
a shallow pan in very hot oven.
=Graham Rolls.=—1 pint Graham flour, 1 pint wheat flour, 1 teaspoon
salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 1 tablespoon butter or lard, ¾
pint milk. Sift together Graham flour, flour, salt, and powder; rub
in the shortening; add milk, and mix the whole into smooth dough that
can be handled—not _too_ soft; flour board, turn it out, and form into
rolls shape and size of large fingers. Lay them on baking-sheet (fig.
XIV) so that they will not touch. Wash their surfaces with soft brush
(fig. XI) dipped in milk to glaze them. Bake in hot oven from 10 to 12
minutes.
=Breakfast Rolls.=—1½ pints flour, ½ pint Indian corn meal (white), 1
teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 1 tablespoon butter or
lard, ¾ pint milk. Sift together flour, corn meal, salt, and powder;
rub in shortening; add the milk, mix smoothly into rather firmer
dough than usual. Flour the board, turn out the dough, give it 1 or
2 turns to complete its smoothness. Divide it, thus prepared, into
pieces size of an egg; again divide these in half, which roll out
under the hand until they are long and half the size of one’s little
finger. Lay on greased baking-tin (fig. XIV) so that they do not touch,
wash them over with milk. Bake in _hot oven_ 7 or 8 minutes.
=Lunch Rolls.=—1 quart flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal
Baking Powder, 1 tablespoon butter or lard, 1 pint milk. Sift together
flour, salt, and powder; rub in the shortening; add milk, mix to a
smooth dough to be easily handled. Flour the board, turn out dough,
give 1 or 2 quick kneadings to give it smoothness. Roll out little
over ½ inch thick, cut out with round cutter about 2½ inches in
diameter; lay them on greased baking-tin (fig. XIV), just touching (in
rows evenly), wash over with milk, bake in fairly hot oven 25 minutes.
Wash them over again with milk when taken from oven.
=Twist Rolls.=—Prepare dough as for lunch rolls. Cut in pieces size
of egg. Roll each with hands into plain roll tapering at ends and 5
inches long. Lay 3 together; begin in middle and braid to end; turn
over and braid opposite end. Mold and twist all the pieces of dough in
the same way. Lay well apart on flat greased pans. Brush with milk,
bake golden brown in very hot oven.
=Dinner Rolls.=—Prepare dough as for lunch rolls, but slightly
stiffer. Knead and roll out quite thin. Cut in strips 3 inches wide.
Roll strips up very tight; they should not be too thick. Lay well
apart on greased flat pans, brush with milk, and bake in very hot oven.
=French Rolls.=—Make dough as for lunch rolls. Knead on board. Divide
into pieces size of an egg. Form each into a short, thick, tapering
roll. Put together by twos, side by side, pinching ends together a
little. Place on flat greased pans. Brush with milk. Bake in very hot
oven.
=Parker House Rolls.=—Prepare firm dough as for dinner rolls. Knead
and roll out ½ inch thick. Cut into 3-inch circles. Press pencil down
across middle of each; rub edges with soft butter. Double each, lay 1
inch apart on flat greased pans. Brush with milk, and bake in hot oven.
=Fruit Rolls.=—Mix together 1 quart flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2
tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder; rub in 2
tablespoons butter. Cut fine ¼ pound citron, seed and halve ¼ pound
raisins. Mix fruit evenly with dry ingredients, make to a firm dough
with milk. Knead on board for a moment, divide into pieces size of
egg, make into long rolls, lay 1 inch apart on flat greased pans,
brush with milk. Bake in a very hot oven.