Page:Food and cookery for the sick and convalescent.djvu/131

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Bread is baked

1. To kill the yeast plant (accomplished at 158° F.).

2. To render the starch soluble.

3. To drive off alcohol and carbon dioxid.

4. To form a dextrinized crust of sweet, pleasant flavor.

It is a common error to bake loaf bread insufficiently. While it requires a hot oven, it should continue to rise for about fifteen minutes after going into the oven, then the rising should cease and the loaf begin to brown.

A loaf of bread of medium size requires from one to one and one-fourth hours for baking.

Freshly baked bread cannot be sufficiently masticated to render it easy of digestion. Stale bread, from thirty- six to forty-eight hours old, if thoroughly masticated, is well digested and absorbed.

Butter spread on bread not only increases its nutritive value, but tends to assist its digestibility.


 * 2 cups boiling water.

1½ tablespoons butter.

1 tablespoon sugar.

1¼ teaspoons salt.

1 yeast cake (dissolved in ¼ cup lukewarm water).

6 cups sifted flour.

Put butter, sugar, and salt in bowl without a lip. Pour on boiling water, and when lukewarm add dissolved yeast cake and five cups flour, then stir until thoroughly mixed, using a knife or spoon. Add remaining flour, mix, and turn on a floured cloth; knead, return to bowl, and cover with a cloth and board or tin cover. Let rise until mixture has doubled its bulk, cut down, toss on a floured cloth, knead, shape, let rise again, and bake. Remove from pan, place side clown on wire rack, that the air may have an opportunity to circulate around it. If a