Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 1, 1802).djvu/360

328&#93; i8] BRE it into viscous cakes, not very agree- to the palate, and difficult of digestion. In process of time, ma- t( s were constructed for grind- ing corn, as well as for separating pure flour ; and a method was -'.vied to raise the dough by lentation. Dough may be fer-
 * ted either by leaven or by yeast ;

bin as die latter raises the kneaded mass more uniformly, and produces the sweetest and lightest bread, it is generally preferred. Bread well raised and baked is not only more agreeable to the taste than unfer- mented bread, but more readily mixes with water, without forming a viscous mass, or puff, and is at the same time more easily digested in the stomach. Bread in this country is divided into three kinds, namely, white, wheaten, and household. Fine white bread is made only of flour ; the wheaten contains a mixture of the finer p.irt of the bran ; and the household of the whole substance of the grain. An aft for regulating the assize of bread was passed in the year 1/73 ; by which it was enacted, that all bread made of the flour of I and which shall be the v hole produce of the grain, the hall thereof only excepted, and which shall weigh three -fourth parts of the weight of the wheat, shall be allowed to be made, baked and sold, and shall be understood to be a standard wheaten bread ; that every standard wheaten peek loaf shall always weigh ] 7 lb. 6' oz. avoirdupois ; every half peck loafs lb. lloz.5 and every quar- tern loaf 4 lb. 5 oz. ; and be marked with die letters S. W, ; and that every peck loaf, half peck loaf, and quartern loaf, shall always be sold, as to price, in BR E - proportion to each other respec- tively. Although we have, in the article Baking, given general directions for successfully conducting this complicated process, yet we think it will be useful, in this place, to add, by way of supplement, a few particulars relative to this subject, and more especially applicable to domestic purposes. Mr. Dossie, who appears to have paid great at- tention to die art of baking, gives the following simple and much ap- proved mediod of making good white bread : Take of fine flour, six pounds ; of water, moderately warm, but not hot, two pints and a half ; of liquid yeast, eight spoon- fuls ; and of salt, two ounces. Put about a pint of the warm water to the yeast, and mix diem well, by beating them together with a whisk. Let the salt be put to die remain- ing part of the water, and stirred till completely dissolved. Then put both quantities of the fluid gra- dually to the flour, and knead the mass well till the whole is pro- perly mixed. The dough thus made must stand four or five hours, that is, till the exact moment of its being fullv risen, and b. I it is sensibly perceived to fail. It is then to be formed into loaves, and immediately placed in the oven. To bake it properly, is at- tended with some difficulty to those who are not skilled in the art. The first care is to see that the oven be sufficiently heated, j et not to such a degree as to burn the crust. If a green vegetable turns black when put in, the oven will scorch die bread ; in which case it must stand open till the heat has somewhat abated. The next cir- cumstance to be attended to is, that the mouUr pi the oven be wejl closed,,