Eliza Acton's Bread Book Contents

Welcome to Celtnet's Eliza Acton Recipes and Modern Redaction Recipes Pages — This page gives you the Frontispiece and Full Contents from Eliza Acton's 1857 volume, The English Bread Book. Here you will be presented with the original frontispiece is as close a representation to the original as possible. Also included here is the full table of contents, with links through to original recipes and their modern redactions (where available). This is the first time that Eliza Acton's 'English Bread Book' has been made available in its entirety on the internet. Enjoy...

The text presented here is based on that from the 1857 First Edition of Eliza Acton's cookbook, with additions and amendments to separate out alternate version of recipes so that they can be linked cleanly via HTML.

Eliza Acton's Frontispiece and Preface from The English Bread Book

THE

ENGLISH BREAD-BOOK.

Eliza Acton English Bread Book

"In no way, perhaps, is the progress of a nation in civilisation more unequivocally shown, than in the improvement which it realises in the food of the community."

THE,

ENGLISH BREAD-BOOK

FOR DOMESTIC USE,

ADAPTED TO

FAMILIES OF EVERY GRADE :

CONTAINING THE

PLAINEST AND MOST MINUTE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LEARNER;

PRACTICAL RECEIPTS

FOR MANY VARIETIES OF BREAD ;

WITH

NOTICES OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF ADULTERATION,

AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ;

AND OF THE

IMPROVED BAKING PROCESSES AND INSTITUTIONS

ESTABLISHED ABROAD.

BY

ELIZA ACTON,

AUTHOR OF "MODERN COOKERY."

LONDON :
LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, LONGMANS, & ROBERTS.
1857.

The right of translation is reserved.

PREFACE.

It is a first necessity of life to the great mass of the English people; being in part the food of all—the chief food of many—and almost the sole food of many more. Everything, therefore, which relates to its consumption or economy is of real importance to us; and it might naturally be supposed that the art of preparing it well, wholesomely, and without waste, would be an object of peculiar household interest in families of every degree throughout the kingdom; and that a familiar and complete acquaintance with its details would be considered absolutely indispensable in the practical domestic education of all classes to whom it is likely ever to prove useful. Unfortunately, however, this is not the case; and the present volume has been written with a hope that it might attract some slight attention to the subject, and assist in removing the host of obstacles which seem so unaccountably opposed to our having really good bread made in our own homes;—obstacles, for which there is, in general, no rational foundation nor excuse, and which a little well-directed effort and energy would easily overcome.
A very exaggerated idea of the difficulty and trouble of bread-making prevails amongst persons who are entirely ignorant of the process. The instructions for it contained in the following pages, will, at least, serve to show how simple and how facile the operation is; and if they should prove sufficient to aid the reader effectually in becoming independent of the industry and skill of others, for the preparation of the most valuable portion of our daily food, the great aim of the author will be attained. May, 1857

CONTENTS.

PART I.

CHAPTER I

	Page
Bread.—Its Value.—Its Wholesomeness.—Its faulty Fabrication here.—The Waste of it.—The Necessity for a more general Knowledge of the Mode of preparing it.—The Bread Trade of France	1

CHAPTER II.

ADULTERATION OF BREAD, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.

Government Investigation of Commercial Frauds.—Beautiful adaptation of Pure Bread to the Wants of Man.—Grievous Social Wrong of Adulteration.—Power of the English People to redress it, in a calm and equitable Spirit.—Chemical and Medical Testimony to the injurious effects of Alum.—Punishment in France for Bread-Frauds

CHAPTER III.

LARGE INSTITUTIONS ESTABLISHED ABROAD FOR THE PERFECT AND ECONOMICAL FABRICATION OF BREAD BY MEANS OF MACHINERY AND STEAM POWER, WITH M. ROLLAND'S APPARATUS AND OVENS.

The Bread Question more seriously considered Abroad than in England.—The great interest manifested in it by Intelligent Men.—The Insalubrity and other disadvantages of the old System of Panification exposed.—Difficulties of the Bakers.—Wilful Blindness in England to existing Evils.—The French Press on Bread-making, and on Monsieur Rolland's Apparatus and Ovens.—Magnificent Establishment at Lyons planned and executed by Monsieur Lesobre.—Particulars of the Rolland Invention

CHAPTER IV.

GLUTEN.

The Super-excellence of Wheat as Bread-Corn, derived from the nature of the Gluten it contains.—Curious Particulars of Algerian Wheat entirely devoid of this Principle.—Superiority of the hard-grained Wheats to the soft.—Agriculture in France and in England.—Our more abundant Crops, for our higher Cultivation.—Difficulties of French Agriculturists.—Method of separating the Gluten from the Farina or Starch of Wheaten Flour, by Professor Johnston and Professor Donovan

CHAPTER V.

TO REMOVE THE TAINT OF MUST FROM WHEAT.

To remove the Taint of Must from Wheat.—Best Method of treating Corn harvested in Wet Weather, or damaged by it.—Manner in which Bread made from Germinated Grain should be managed; extracted from Professor Donovan's "Domestic Economy"

CHAPTER VI.

DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF BREAD-CORN (KNOWN AS THE CEREALIA, OR CEREAL GRAINS).

Wheat.—Rye.—Barley.—Oats.—Maize.—Rice.—Their relative Importance, and Adaptation to different Climates

PART II.

SECTION I

Home-Made Bread	81
The comparative Weight of Flour and Bread	86
Different Ingredients of which Bread may be made, either entirely or in part	87
Various Kinds of Flour, and other Preparations of Wheat	87
Flour for Bread-making	89
Causes of Failure in making Bread	122
The Tests of well-made Bread	123
Different Kinds of Yeast, and other Ferments, and the Modes of using them	91
To purify Yeast	91
To keep Brewers' or Home-made Yeast	92
To freshen or aid the Fermentation of Stale Yeast	93
German Yeast	93
To keep German Yaest	95
Home-Brewed Yeast	98
Brewers' Yeast	99
Ingredients for making Unfermented Bread	100

SECTION II.

General Rules for Baking Bread	102
Management of a Brick Oven	104
To heat a large Brick Oven	105
Cottage Brick Oven	107
Iron Ovens	108
American Ovens	108
Ball's Revolving Oven	110

SECTION III.

Wholesome and Unwholesome Bread	112
Product in Bread of a Bushel of good Wheat Flour	114
The Quantity of Liquid required to make a Bushel of Flour into Bread	115
Proper Fermentation of Bread Dough	116
Different Methods of making Bread Dough	118
To make Dough by setting a Sponge	119
Dough slowly fermented with a very small Quantity of Yeast	120
A Batter-Sponge for very light Bread or Cakes	121
To soften Dough or Paste when it is too stiff	122
To keep Bread	124
To freshen Stale Bread and Pastry, and preserve it from mould	125
To know when Bread is sufficiently baked	125

SECTION IV.

Bread Receipts—Preliminary Observations	127
Very plain Directions to a quite inexperienced Learner for making Bread	129
To make Dough without setting a Sponge	135
Good Family Bread	136
Surrey Receipt for good Household or Cottage Bread	138
Whole-Meal Bread, called in Germany Pimpernickel	141
The Frugal Housekeeper's Brown Bread	145
Excellent Dairy-Bread, made without Yeast	145
Rice Bread	147
Small Breakfast Loaves or Rolls	151
Bread Experiences	153
Summer Bread, No. 1.	154
Summer Bread, No. 2.	155
Summer Bread, No. 3.	156
Excellent Suffolk Bread	159
A French Receipt for French Bread	161
Ginger Loaf or Rolls	162
Plain Rolls	163
Good Dinner, or Breakfast Rolls	164
Polenta Bread, or Rolls	167
Cocoa-Nut Bread, or Rolls	167
Turkish Rolls	168
Brown Carraway, or Newcastle Bread	169
Oaten-Cakes, called Clapped Bread (a North Country Receipt)	170
Oatmeal Bannocks	171
Brown Fadge	172
A Sally Lunn, and other very Light Preparations	172
Cheap Bread	175
Potato Bread	176
Bread of Indian Corn, Rye, and Wheat-Meal	177
French Bean Bread	179
Parsnip, and other Vegetable Bread	180
Bread of Indian-Corn Flour	181
Unfermented Bread	181
Crusts to Serve with Cheese	183
Loaves of Different Forms	184
Extracts from the Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the District of Holborn, on the Adulteration of Bread. March 16th 1857	185
Bread Associations	189
New French Process for converting Wheat into White Bread	190
Chemistry applied to Panification	192
Public Ovens (for baking Bread, and for general Cookery)	195
To Cleanse Wheat for Grinding	201
Pure Bakers' Bread	202
Deficient Weight of Bread	203
Bread Chips (to serve instead of Biscuits for Dessert, or to Invalids)	203