Breads 61 }

When bread is baked, put the loaves to cool on a wire rack or against
the pans, that the air may circulate freely around them. Do not cover, and |
do not wrap bread in a cloth when putting it away. Cotton and linen fibre )
sours quickly, causing the bread to mould.

A bread mixer is a wonderful labor saver.

Utilizing Stale Bread—Bread crumbs can be utilized in so many ways
that every piece of stale bread and the ends of loaves should be saved.
Some may be dried, ground in a food chopper, and kept covered in a jar for

_ future use.

Dry toast cut in various shapes is often used for garnishing.

A Dry bread may be buttered, cut in cubes and browned in the oven. These
are called croutons and may be used with or in soup.

Buttered Crumbs—1 cup fine crumbs, % teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon
or more melted butter. Mix all together thoroughly. Use over top of
scalloped dishes.

YEAST |

Yeast is a microscopic plant used to make fermented bread. It requires
warmth, air and moisture for its growth. The best temperature is from 70°
to 75° Fahrenheit, and bread dough is a good soil. The yeast changes the
sugar into carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. The gas rises and in its efforts
to escape stretches the gluten of the flour to two or three times its original '
size.

| 7 Yeast keeps best in the form of dry yeast cakes, and for those who live
| where it is necessary to keep the yeast for some length of time, this is the
) safest way to buy it.

. Being dry, the cakes do not decay, although if kept too long, they lose
their vitality, and should be used as fresh as possible.

The compressed moist yeast should not be kept more than a few days.
If dark and mouldy, it is old; if it breaks up like putty, it is weak. When
good, it breaks up easily, has a crisp feeling, and a pleasant wine-like smell.

Home-made yeast sometimes gives very satisfactory results, but is apt to
contain so many species of yeast plants that-it is extremely hard to obtain
uniform results, and it is considerable trouble to make and keep it right.

wee. — sine iaata

| One compressed yeast cake is equal to two dry yeast cakes, or two cups
| of home-made yeast.

The a yeast cakes work more slowly than compressed or home-made
| and should be set with a sponge, preferably over night.

| Sugar hastens the growth or fermentation of the yeast. Salt makes the
| action less rapid.

yeast,