Mrs. Wilsons Cook Book | Page 4

both burners of gas range for eight minutes and then turning them down one-half to maintain this heat.
A hot oven requires 425 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and will need to have the burners burning twelve minutes and then turned off one-quarter.
This heat is intense and entirely too hot for breads, pastries and cakes. Meats require this heat for one-half of the length of time in the period of cooking. This heat is also necessary for broiling, grilling, etc.
Now, also try to utilize the full oven space when baking by cooking two or more dishes at the same time. Vegetables may be placed in casseroles or earthen dishes or even ordinary saucepans; cover them closely and cook in the oven until tender. This will not injure other foods baking in the oven.
Do not place breads, cakes and pastries upon the top shelf; rather, place them on the lower shelf and cook in moderate oven. Do you know that there are still among us women who firmly believe that placing other foods to cook in oven with cake will surely spoil it? This is a mistake; utilize every bit of oven space.
An oven thermometer soon pays for itself. Pay strict attention to heating the oven; if the oven is too hot, the heat is wasted, while it cools sufficiently. This wastes gas. When food is first placed in the oven, keep oven door closed for first ten minutes and then open when necessary.
Placing food in oven will materially reduce the heat. Do not try to increase the heat; just as soon as the mixture acquires the heat, the baking will begin in the usual manner and the dish will be ready to remove from oven in given time.
Never keep the oven waiting for the food; rather let food remain in cool place while oven is heating.
Before mixing materials select the pans that will best fit the oven. This does not mean that you must discard your present equipment. It means that you should place in groups such pans that entirely fill oven space without crowding. Keep this fact in mind when purchasing new utensils.
The best and whitest rye flour is milled from the centre of the grains in a manner similar to wheat flour. When only the bran is removed from the milling, we have the darker flour, carrying a heavy pronounced flavor. The rye meal is used for making pumpernickel, a Swiss and Swedish rye flour bread.
HOME-MADE YEAST
Wash four potatoes and then cut in slices, without peeling, and place in saucepan, and add three pints of water. Cook until the potatoes are soft and then add
One-half cupful of hops.
Cook slowly for one-half hour. Rub the mixture through a fine sieve and then pour hot mixture on
One and one-half cupfuls of flour,?One tablespoonful of salt,?One-quarter cupful of brown sugar.
Stir until well mixed, beating free from lumps. Cool to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Now add
One yeast cake dissolved in one cupful of water, 80 degrees
Fahrenheit
Stir well to mix and then let ferment in a warm place for ten hours. Now pour into jar or crock and store in a cool place.
TO USE
Use one and one-half cups of this mixture in place of the yeast cake. Always stir well before using and take care that the mixture does not freeze. This potato ferment must be made fresh every eighteen days in winter and every twelve days in summer.
STRAIGHT DOUGH VIENNA
One quart of water or milk,?One ounce of salt,?One ounce of sugar.
Stir well to thoroughly dissolve, and then add
Two yeast cakes,?Four quarts of flour,?One and one-half ounces of shortening.
Work to a smooth dough and then knead for ten minutes. Then place in a well-greased bowl, turning the dough over to thoroughly coat. This prevents a crust from forming on the dough.
Cover the bowl and set aside to raise for three and one-half hours. Now lay over the dough by pulling in toward the centre, the sides and ends of the dough until it forms a compact mass. Turn over the dough, cover and let rise for one hour. Now place on the moulding board and proceed to form into loaves, using the same method as in the sponge dough.
TO PREPARE LOAF
When the dough is ready to mould into loaves, proceed; using method as given in sponge dough, finally rolling the loaf on the moulding board, making it pointed at the ends. Now place a clean cloth in a deep baking pan and sprinkle the cloth with cornmeal. Place the loaf of dough on the cloth and sprinkle it lightly with cornmeal. Now lift the cloth up close to the dough, making a cloth partition between each loaf.
Let the dough rise, about 45 minutes, and when ready to bake, lift dough carefully from the cloth and lay on a baking sheet and gash slightly with a sharp