CARE OF BREAD AFTER BAKING.—­When done, remove the loaves from the tins, and tilt them upon edge so that the air may circulate freely on all sides of them to prevent “sweating.”  Do not, however, lay them on a pine shelf or table to absorb the odor of the wood.  A large tin dripping pan turned over upon the table does very well to tilt them on.  If they are turned often, so that they will not soften on one side, but a fine wire bread cooler is the best thing.  If this is not obtainable, a fair substitute can be easily improvised by tacking window-screen wire to a light frame of sufficient size to hold the requisite number of loaves.  If the bread is left exposed to the air until cold, the crust will be crisp; if a soft crust is desired, it can be secured by brushing the top of the loaf while hot, with tepid water, and covering with several thicknesses of a clean bread cloth.

If by accident any portion of the crust is burnt, grate it away as soon as cold; this is preferable to cutting or clipping it off.

BEST METHOD OF KEEPING BREAD.—­When the bread is quite cold, put it away in a bread box, which should be of tin, or of wood lined with tin, convenient in form and supplied with a well-fitting cover.  Never use an unlined wooden box of any kind, as it cannot easily be kept fresh and free from musty odors, which bread so readily absorbs.

Stone and earthen ware are not open to this objection, but they are likely to collect moisture, and hence are not equal to a tin receptacle.  Do not keep bread in the cellar or any other damp place, nor in a close closet, where there are other foods from which it can absorb odors.  The bread box should be kept well covered, and free from crumbs and stale bits.  It should be carefully washed in boiling soapsuds, scalded, and dried, every two or three days.  If cloths are used to wrap or cover the bread, they too should be washed and scalded every week, and oftener if at any time the loaf about which they are wrapped becomes moldy or musty.

TEST OF GOOD FERMENTED BREAD.—­A loaf of good bread, well risen and perfectly baked, may be taken in the hands, and, with the thumb on the top crust and fingers upon the bottom of the loaf, pressed to less than half its thickness, and when the pressure is removed, it will immediately expand like a sponge, to its former proportions.

Good yeast bread, while it should be firm and preserve a certain amount of moisture, will, when cold, crumble easily when rubbed between the fingers.  If, instead, it forms a close, soggy mass, it may be regarded as indigestible.  This is one reason why hot, new yeast bread and biscuit are so indigestible.  In demonstration of this, take a small lump of new bread, gently roll it into a ball, and put into a glass of water, adding a similar quantity of stale bread of the same kind also.  The latter will crumble away very soon, while the former will retain its form for hours, reminding one of its condition in the stomach,