French Bread

1 quart of water 1 pound of potatoes

6 hop flowers

1 tablespoonful of salt

1 cup of good yeast or half a compressed cake About four quarts of flour

Put the hops in the water, and boil five minutes. Boil the potatoes in their skins; when done, peel and mash them fine. Put three cups of flour into the bread pan, pour one pint of boiling water over it, and beat quickly until smooth; add the mashed potatoes, and then strain into this the hop-water; add the salt and a teaspoonful of sugar; beat thoroughly; and, when lukewarm, add the yeast; stand in a-warm place for nine hours, or over night. In the morning add sufficient flour (about three and a half quarts) to make a dough; knead thoroughly and continuously for ten minutes, using as little flour as possible; then wet the hands in lukewarm water, raise the dough about three feet from the board, and throw it back with force, and continue this process for fifteen minutes, or until large air bubbles are formed in the dough. If properly worked the dough will be very elastic and soft, but will not stick to the hands. Now put it back in the bread pan, cover, and stand in a warm place to rise, about two hours. When light, take out gently, enough of this dough to make one loaf (about a pound); sprinkle the board lightly with flour, knead so as to make a kind of ball; then roll it gently with palms of the hands, giving it an elongated shape; now flour a rolling-pin lightly, place it on top of the loaf, right in the centre, and press and roll a little to make a furrow in the middle of the loaf. Now dust a towel or bread cloth well with flour, place the loaf just made upside down on the towel, pulling out the ends a little to give the loaf a long form, and so continue until all the loaves arc made; then cover with a towel, let rise as ordinary bread; then turn into floured bread pans, the furrowed side up, i. e., the side that was down in the floured towel must be up in the baking-pan. The loaves must be a little distance apart, if you place two in one pan. Sprinkle plenty of flour on the top of each loaf, and bake in a moderately quick oven, forty minutes.

Milk Bread

1 pint of milk 1/2 cup of yeast or half a compressed cake

About two quarts of flour 1 teaspoonful of salt 1 teaspoonful of butter

Scald the milk and turn it into the bread pan, add the butter and salt. When cool, add the yeast, and sufficient flour to make a thick batter. Beat thoroughly until the batter is full of air-bubbles. Cover, and let stand in a warm place (720 Fahr.) until morning. Early in the morning add enough flour to make a dough. Take it out on a baking-board as soon as it is stiff enough to do so, and knead quickly and gently until the dough is perfectly smooth and elastic, and will not stick to the board or hands. Now put it back in the bread pan, cover, and stand in the same warm place, and let it rise until it doubles its bulk. When light, turn out on the board, divide it into halves, mould lightly into loaves, put them into greased pans, and stand away again until light. Bake in a moderately quick oven (3900 Fahr.) for three-quarters of an hour.