bake.  When bread is sufficiently baked it can be told by turning the loaf over and rapping with the knuckles on the bottom of the loaf.  If it sounds hollow, it is thoroughly baked, and should be taken from the oven.  Stand loaves up on end against some object, where the air can circulate around them, and brush a little butter over the top to soften the crust.  An authority on the chemistry of foods cautious housewives against cooling loaves of bread too rapidly after taking from the oven, and I should like to add a word of caution against eating fresh breads of any kind.  Bread should be baked at least twelve hours before being eaten.  The sponge for this bread was set at 6 o’clock in the morning; bread was baked at 10.30.

From 1 pint of liquid, 1 cake of yeast and about 1-1/2 quarts of flour were made two loaves of bread.  More yeast is required to raise a sponge containing sugar, eggs and shortening than is required to raise bread sponge containing only liquid, flour and yeast.

“FRAU SCHMIDTS” EASILY-MADE GRAHAM BREAD

Should you care to have a couple of loaves of graham bread instead of all-wheat, take a generous cup of the above sponge before it is stiffened beyond a thick batter, and add one tablespoonful of brown sugar or molasses, stiffen with graham flour (not quite as stiff as when making wheat bread), rub butter or lard on top of dough, cover and set in a warm place to rise.  When light, mold into one small loaf (never make graham bread into large loaves), place in oblong pan, cover, let stand until light, about 1-1/2 hours, when it should have doubled in size; put in oven and bake thoroughly.  When the loaf is taken from the oven, brush butter over the top.  This keeps the crust moist.

If a wholesome loaf of “Corn Bread” is wished, use fine, yellow, granulated cornmeal to stiffen the sponge instead of graham flour; do not make dough too stiff.

WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD

1 pint boiling water. 1 pint sweet milk. 1/2 Fleischman’s yeast cake dissolved in luke-warm water. 1/2 tablespoon salt.  Flour.

When the milk and water are lukewarm add the yeast cake and salt.  Then add enough whole wheat flour to make a thin batter.  Let stand in a warm place three or four hours.  Then stir in as much wheat flour (whole wheat) as can be stirred in well with a large spoon, and pour into well-greased pans.  Let rise to double its bulk; then bake from three-fourths to one hour, according to the size of the loaves.  This quantity makes three loaves.

NUT BREAD

3 cups graham flour. 1 cup wheat flour. 4 teaspoons baking powder. 1 cup chopped English walnuts. 1 cup sugar. 1 small teaspoon “Mapleine” flavoring (if liked). 1/2 cup milk.  Pinch salt. 1/2 cup floured raisins (seeded).

Put in a good-sized bread pan and bake on hour in a moderate oven.  Strange as it may seem, this bread is lighter and better if allowed to stand a half hour before being placed in the oven to bake.