Alexis Soyer's Part 12: Bread
Welcome to FabulousFusionFood's Alexis Soyer's Part 12 (Bread) Page — Here you will find the full text from the twelfth section: Bread; of Alexis Soyer's A Shilling Cookery Book for the People As well as the full text this page also provides links out to the overall index of the book and links to modern redactions of each and every recipe (where practicable). This site builds a complete library of Eliza Acton recipes, allowing the modern cook to make them at home today. Enjoy...
SERIES OF BREAD.
402. The bread which I strongly recommend for the labouring class, or those who shall get their bread "by the sweat of their brow," is that made from unbolted flour, or whole meal. It is only the effeminate and delicate that should partake of fine flour. The mass of bread is increased one fifth, and the price lowered, between the difference of the price of bran as flour, or as fodder for cattle.
Liebig says, "The separation of the bran from the flour by bolting, is a matter of luxury, and injurious rather than beneficial as regards the nutritive power of the bread."
It is only in more modern times the sifted flour has been known and used, and has been followed by the poor, to imitate the luxury of the wealthy, at the expense of their health. Certain it is, that where whole meal is used as bread, the population have better digestive organs than where it is not.
In Ireland, amongst the poor, it is almost a disgrace to eat brown bread. During the year of the famine, being at Malahide, I saw a female, without shoes or stockings, go into a baker's shop, purchase two loaves, one white, and the other brown; the white she carried in her hand, the brown she hid under her everlasting cloak—her pride would not allow it to be seen. These ignorant people should be told that there is hardly a family in England but what have on their table for breakfast and tea a 'loaf of each kind of bread, white or brown.
If the dough is made and well raised in the pan, if in small quantities, as for huns, &c. throw some flour on the table, put the dough over, and roll it several times to form it solid; then shape the loaf or bun; let them rise twenty minutes in a warm place, and bake according to size.
403. Cottage Bread, No. 1.—Put into a large pan fourteen pounds of flour, add to one quart of warm water a quarter of a pint of brewer's yeast, or two ounces of German yeast, make a hole in the flour, and pour in the water and the yeast; stir it well up with a wooden spoon till it forms a thickish paste, throw a little flour over, and leave it in a warm room; in about one hour or seventy-five minutes it will have risen and burst through the covering of flour, then add more warm water and four teaspoonfuls of salt, until it forms, when kneaded, a rather stiff dough; it cannot be too much worked; then let it remain covered with a cloth for about another hour, or an hour and a half; the time, as well as the quantity of water it takes, depends greatly on the quality of the flour. Cold water may be used in summer.
Then divide the dough into five pieces; if the flour is old and good they will weigh four pounds each, and take about one hour and forty minutes to bake; the oven should be well heated, and sufficiently large to bake the quantity of dough you make at one time; if the oven is small, make only half the quantity; the door should be well closed. If the bottom of the oven is too hot, a tile placed on it will prevent too much bottom crust; or a baking sheet, kept half an inch above the bottom of the oven, will have the same effect.
In some places they bake in tins, in others in brown pans; if so, the dough may be made softer, and allowed to rise a little longer, though I do not approve of bread being too light, as it is both tasteless and unprofitable.
404 Milk Bread and Rolls.—Weigh a pound of flour, put it on the table-dresser, or in a pan, make a hole in the centre, put in a quarter of an ounce of German yeast, one egg, two ounces of butter, quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, have half a pint of warm milk, put a little in, mix all well together, then add by degrees the flour, and also the milk; it may not take the half pint, but depends on the flour; stir all well, work it for a few minutes, until it is a stiff dough; take a little flour and rub off the paste which attaches to the side of the basin, roll it round, throw some flour on the bottom of the basin, put in the dough, keep it in a warm place for two hours or till it has nicely risen, then throw some flour on the board, cut the paste off in the size of eggs, flatten them with the hand, make them long and pointed, and make a line in the centre with the back of the knife, egg over with a paste-brush, let them rise half an hour longer in a warm place, bake twenty minutes in rather a sharp oven. They ought to be of a nice yellow colour, and light. If the yeast is doubtful, add a little more; brown yeast is preferable.
Another plainer, No. 2.—Put in the centre of the flour two ounces of lard, or good dripping, then add an ounce of German yeast, a little salt, a little tepid water, with which dissolve both yeast and lard; mix it with the flour.
405. Plainer still, No. 3.—Put a quarter of an ounce of yeast, salt, sugar as above, add half a pint of tepid water, proceed as above; sugar may be omitted; or make a single loaf of it in a tin pan, or roll it into a lump; make a cross at the top with a sharp knife, egg over, or milk and water ; bake in rather sharp oven, which is easily ascertained by placing the hand on it; if you cannot endure it for a quarter of a minute it is fit for bread, but if it burns it is too hot.
406. The brown bread, or that made from whole meal, is done in the same way; the sponge will take a little longer to rise.
Milk used in these breads will occasion it to go a little further, and keep it moist longer; one pint is sufficient, and you get one pound more bread; it also improves bad flour, from the addition of gluten in the milk. A little potato starch or rice starch will improve bad flour, and occasion it to rise better.
The following are two variations for these breads:—Put seven pounds of flour into a pan, mix with three pints of warm milk or water, an ounce of yeast, one ounce of salt, mix well with the flour, set it in a warm place for three hours, form into small loves and bake at once.
407. Rice Bread.—To fourteen pounds of dough add one pound of ground rice, boiled in milk until in pulp and cold; bake in small loaves.
408. Brown Rye Bread.—To three pounds of flour add one pound of rye flour, the proportions of yeast, salt and water as above, and may be mixed all at once; it will take a little longer to bake.
409. Good Keeping Bread.—Mix one quarter of a pound of very light mashed potatoes with four pounds of flour, made into dough for bread, is very good; this kind of bread will keep moist for a long time.
Bread.
402. The bread which I strongly recommend for the labouring class, or those who shall get their bread "by the sweat of their brow," is that made from unbolted flour, or whole meal. It is only the effeminate and delicate that should partake of fine flour. The mass of bread is increased one fifth, and the price lowered, between the difference of the price of bran as flour, or as fodder for cattle.
Liebig says, "The separation of the bran from the flour by bolting, is a matter of luxury, and injurious rather than beneficial as regards the nutritive power of the bread."
It is only in more modern times the sifted flour has been known and used, and has been followed by the poor, to imitate the luxury of the wealthy, at the expense of their health. Certain it is, that where whole meal is used as bread, the population have better digestive organs than where it is not.
In Ireland, amongst the poor, it is almost a disgrace to eat brown bread. During the year of the famine, being at Malahide, I saw a female, without shoes or stockings, go into a baker's shop, purchase two loaves, one white, and the other brown; the white she carried in her hand, the brown she hid under her everlasting cloak—her pride would not allow it to be seen. These ignorant people should be told that there is hardly a family in England but what have on their table for breakfast and tea a 'loaf of each kind of bread, white or brown.
If the dough is made and well raised in the pan, if in small quantities, as for huns, &c. throw some flour on the table, put the dough over, and roll it several times to form it solid; then shape the loaf or bun; let them rise twenty minutes in a warm place, and bake according to size.
403. Cottage Bread, No. 1.—Put into a large pan fourteen pounds of flour, add to one quart of warm water a quarter of a pint of brewer's yeast, or two ounces of German yeast, make a hole in the flour, and pour in the water and the yeast; stir it well up with a wooden spoon till it forms a thickish paste, throw a little flour over, and leave it in a warm room; in about one hour or seventy-five minutes it will have risen and burst through the covering of flour, then add more warm water and four teaspoonfuls of salt, until it forms, when kneaded, a rather stiff dough; it cannot be too much worked; then let it remain covered with a cloth for about another hour, or an hour and a half; the time, as well as the quantity of water it takes, depends greatly on the quality of the flour. Cold water may be used in summer.
Then divide the dough into five pieces; if the flour is old and good they will weigh four pounds each, and take about one hour and forty minutes to bake; the oven should be well heated, and sufficiently large to bake the quantity of dough you make at one time; if the oven is small, make only half the quantity; the door should be well closed. If the bottom of the oven is too hot, a tile placed on it will prevent too much bottom crust; or a baking sheet, kept half an inch above the bottom of the oven, will have the same effect.
In some places they bake in tins, in others in brown pans; if so, the dough may be made softer, and allowed to rise a little longer, though I do not approve of bread being too light, as it is both tasteless and unprofitable.
404 Milk Bread and Rolls.—Weigh a pound of flour, put it on the table-dresser, or in a pan, make a hole in the centre, put in a quarter of an ounce of German yeast, one egg, two ounces of butter, quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, have half a pint of warm milk, put a little in, mix all well together, then add by degrees the flour, and also the milk; it may not take the half pint, but depends on the flour; stir all well, work it for a few minutes, until it is a stiff dough; take a little flour and rub off the paste which attaches to the side of the basin, roll it round, throw some flour on the bottom of the basin, put in the dough, keep it in a warm place for two hours or till it has nicely risen, then throw some flour on the board, cut the paste off in the size of eggs, flatten them with the hand, make them long and pointed, and make a line in the centre with the back of the knife, egg over with a paste-brush, let them rise half an hour longer in a warm place, bake twenty minutes in rather a sharp oven. They ought to be of a nice yellow colour, and light. If the yeast is doubtful, add a little more; brown yeast is preferable.
Another plainer, No. 2.—Put in the centre of the flour two ounces of lard, or good dripping, then add an ounce of German yeast, a little salt, a little tepid water, with which dissolve both yeast and lard; mix it with the flour.
405. Plainer still, No. 3.—Put a quarter of an ounce of yeast, salt, sugar as above, add half a pint of tepid water, proceed as above; sugar may be omitted; or make a single loaf of it in a tin pan, or roll it into a lump; make a cross at the top with a sharp knife, egg over, or milk and water ; bake in rather sharp oven, which is easily ascertained by placing the hand on it; if you cannot endure it for a quarter of a minute it is fit for bread, but if it burns it is too hot.
406. The brown bread, or that made from whole meal, is done in the same way; the sponge will take a little longer to rise.
Milk used in these breads will occasion it to go a little further, and keep it moist longer; one pint is sufficient, and you get one pound more bread; it also improves bad flour, from the addition of gluten in the milk. A little potato starch or rice starch will improve bad flour, and occasion it to rise better.
The following are two variations for these breads:—Put seven pounds of flour into a pan, mix with three pints of warm milk or water, an ounce of yeast, one ounce of salt, mix well with the flour, set it in a warm place for three hours, form into small loves and bake at once.
407. Rice Bread.—To fourteen pounds of dough add one pound of ground rice, boiled in milk until in pulp and cold; bake in small loaves.
408. Brown Rye Bread.—To three pounds of flour add one pound of rye flour, the proportions of yeast, salt and water as above, and may be mixed all at once; it will take a little longer to bake.
409. Good Keeping Bread.—Mix one quarter of a pound of very light mashed potatoes with four pounds of flour, made into dough for bread, is very good; this kind of bread will keep moist for a long time.
Notes: