This section is from the book "The Metropolitan Life Cook Book", by Unknown. Also available from Amazon: The Metropolitan Life Cook Book.
First: Scald the liquids, add the salt, sugar and fat; cool.
Second: Mix the yeast with ¼ cup lukewarm liquid, using yeast according to the time desired for the process. If dry yeast is used, mix it with a little lukewarm liquid and flour several hours before adding it to the sponge.
Third: Add the yeast mixture to the lukewarm liquid mixture.
Fourth: Sift the flour, allowing 3 to 4 cups for each loaf. Add 1 of the flour to the liquid mixture and beat thoroughly. Add more flour to make a dough, using a knife, until, when touched with the finger, the dough does not stick to the finger. A bread mixer is a time and labor saver. Turn dough onto a slightly floured board; knead by pushing the dough into the palms of the hands and drawing it forward with the fingers. Use as little flour as possible on board and hands while kneading. Continue until the dough is smooth and elastic to the touch. It takes from 15 to 20 minutes to knead with the hands and about 3 minutes in the bread mixer. Thorough kneading makes fine-grained bread.
Fifth: Put dough in a bowl, brush over with milk, cover closely, put in a warm (not hot) place and let rise to double its bulk. This may be overnight or in the daytime, depending on the quantity of yeast used.
Sixth: Knead again, shaping into loaves; divide dough into as many portions as there are cups of liquid in the mixture. Place in pans, brush over with skimmed milk or melted fat.
Seventh: Cover and let rise in a warm place to double their bulk.
Eighth: Bake loaves from 50 to 60 minutes in a moderately hot oven.
Ninth: Cool loaves on a rack or place them so the air can circulate freely around the loaf.
1 cup scalded milk
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons fat
1 ½ teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon sugar or syrup
1 yeast cake mixed with ¼ cup lukewarm water 6 cups flour
Follow general directions.
To make potato bread, add 2 cups mashed potatoes to the liquids. Use only 1 cup liquid and less flour is needed.
1 cup boiling water 1 cup scalded milk 1/3 cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt 4 2/3 cups coarse entire wheat flour
2 2/3 cups flour ¼ yeast cake mixed with ¼ cup lukewarm water
Follow general directions.
RYE BREAD May be made as directed for entire wheat bread, using rye flour in place of the whole wheat flour.
2 cups hot liquid
1 cup oatmeal
2 tablespoons fat ¼ cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt ½ yeast cake mixed with ½ cup lukewarm liquid
2 cups white flour
3 cups rye flour or all rye
and cornmeal.
Pour the hot liquid over the oatmeal, add the fat, molasses and salt. Follow general directions.
2 cups thick oatmeal mush
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 teaspoons salt
1 or 2 tablespoons fat
Yeast mixed with ¼ cup
lukewarm water 4½ cups flour
Follow general directions.
2 cups boiled rice (½ cup
rice 1 tablespoon fat
2½ teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons syrup Yeast
3 cups Graham flour 5¾ cups white flour
Follow general directions.
1 cup milk
1 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons fat
4 tablespoons corn syrup
Yeast
3 cups buckwheat flour
4 cups white flour
Follow general directions.
1 cup boiling water 1 cup scalded milk 3 tablespoons sugar or syrup
1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons fat Flour
1 yeast cake mixed with ¼ cup lukewarm water
Follow directions for making bread. Mashed potato may be used, and less liquid and flour is required.
Shape the dough into biscuits, let rise again, then, with the handle of a case knife dipped in flour, crease through the middle of each biscuit, or roll with rolling pin to oblong shape. Brush \ of each with melted fat, fold and press together. Cover, let rise and bake in a hot oven 12 to 15 minutes.
Clover leaf biscuits may be made by shaping round biscuits; brush them with melted fat. Drop 3 of them into each well-greased muffin pan. Let rise and bake.
1 cup milk
1 cup mashed potato or
mashed squash 1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
Grated rind of 1 lemon 1 yeast cake mixed with ¼ cup lukewarm water
Flour to make a dough ¼ cup melted fat
Follow directions for making bread. Shape into rolls and bake. Raisins or dates may be added.
Roll the above dough mixture into a rectangular shape. Roll to ¼-inch
thickness, brush with melted fat and sprinkle with fruit, sugar and cinnamon.
Roll like jelly-roll; cut off pieces ¾-inch thick. Place pieces in a greased
tin and let rise to double their bulk and bake in a hot oven about 15 minutes or put them close together in a bread pan. Let rise to double their bulk; when baked, cover with syrup and cinnamon.
1 cup syrup
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup boiling water
In making bread that requires no kneading general rules for mixing given for kneaded bread should be followed, and the mixture beaten thoroughly instead of kneaded. It should be beaten the second time to distribute the gas bubbles evenly, and to make a fine-grained loaf. Well-greased pans should be half filled with the mixture.
The mixture should rise in the pan until double its bulk and no more, and then be baked in a hot oven at least 45 minutes or until brown on all sides, and until a hollow sound can be produced when the loaf is tapped with the finger.
When baked, loaves should be placed so that air can circulate freely around them until cooled. They should be put away unwrapped in a tin box or stone jar.
2 cups boiling water or 1 cup scalded milk and 1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons fat
¼ yeast cake mixed with 2 tablespoons water if mixed overnight, or 1 yeast cake mixed with ¼ cup lukewarm water, if mixed in the morning.
¼ cup sugar or 1/3 cup
molasses or syrup 1½ cups white flour 3½ cups bran 1 teaspoon salt
Follow directions for beaten bread.
2 cups warm (not hot) left-over cereal mush, such as oatmeal, cornmeal, barley or steamed rice
4 tablespoons syrup 1½ teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons fat 4 yeast cake mixed with ¼ cup lukewarm water
1 cup dates, stoned and cut in pieces (may be omitted)
Flour to make a dough stiff enough to knead
Follow directions for beaten bread.
 
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