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An Old Recipe" for Good Bread

A historical recipe from Mary at the farm, and book of recipes compiled during her visit among the "Pennsylvania Germans", by Thomas, Edith M. (Edith May) (1915).

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A historical recipe

Mary at the farm, and book of recipes compiled during her visit among the "Pennsylvania Germans", by Thomas, Edith M. (Edith May) (1915). Project Gutenberg eBook #13545.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

United States

Known as an American recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Ingredients 4 ingredients

  1. 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  2. 1 tablespoon sugar
  3. 1 tablespoon butter
  4. two finely-mashed potatoes

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. This country cook invariably baked good bread and always used potato-water in preference to any other liquid for setting sponge.
  2. She stood aside water, in which potatoes had been boiled for dinner (usually about one quart or less) and added two finely-mashed potatoes.
  3. About 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon of the day before that on which she intended baking bread, she dissolved one cake of yeast (she used the small cornmeal commercial yeast cakes, sold under different names, such as National, Magic, etc.) in a half-cup of luke-warm water, added 1/2 teaspoon of salt and sufficient warmed, well-dried flour to make a thin batter.
  4. She placed all in a bowl and stood it in a warm place, closely-covered, until about 9 o'clock in the evening, when she added this sponge, which should be light and foamy, to the potato water, which should be lukewarm.
  5. She also added 1 tablespoon of salt and enough flour to make a rather thick batter.
  6. Heat thoroughly and allow this sponge to stand, well-covered, in a warm place until morning, when add 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon butter or lard and warmed flour enough to make a stiff dough.
  7. Turn out on the bread board and knead for about twenty minutes, until the dough does not stick to the hands.
  8. Place stiffened dough into howl;
  9. allow it to rise until bulk is doubled.
  10. Mold into loaves, adding as little extra flour as possible.
  11. Cut several gashes on top of loaves, brush with melted butter, place in bread pans, and when loaves have doubled in bulk, place in moderately hot oven and bake about one hour.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Cake tin
  • Mixing bowl
  • Chef's knife
  • Pastry brush
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From Mary at the farm, and book of recipes compiled during her visit among the "Pennsylvania Germans", by Thomas, Edith M. (Edith May) (1915). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #13545 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13545). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.