Lightning Yeast Bread. (No Sponge.)

This is one of the easiest methods of bread-making and produces excellent bread. The work is all done the same day, as it is not necessary to start the sponge over night. For two loaves weighing a pound apiece, allow a pint of the lightning yeast. Place a quart of flour in the bread-pan, sprinkle over it a little salt, make a well in the center of the flour, and turn in the yeast. Mix until a ball is formed, adding more flour if needed ; then turn the dough out upon the bread-board and knead it twenty minutes. Return it to the pan, and when quite light and fully three times its original size, mould it into two loaves, filling the tins but half full of dough. When the bread has doubled in size, bake it an hour in a moderate oven. This is a small quantity, but it will be quite enough for a family of five when bread is baked twice a week.

Bread From Dry Yeast

The national yeast-cake may always be relied upon for this bread. The following quantities will make three loaves :

One good-sized raw potato.

One pint of boiling water.

One table-spoonful of melted lard.

One-half a dry yeast-cake.

One-half table-spoonful of salt.

One tea-spoonful of sugar.

Flour.

Boil the potato in a granite-ware sauce pan, drain off the water, mash the potato very smooth, and turn over it the boiling water. Stir until the liquid is like cream, and set it aside in a bowl. At the same time place the yeast-cake to soak in half a cupful of lukewarm water. Do this work at three o'clock p. m. At four, place the two ingredients together in a tin-pail or earthen pitcher, and stir in enough flour to make a very thick batter. The batter should be too thick to run from the spoon - and should be stirred and beaten until perfectly smooth and full of bubbles. Set this to rise in an even temperature of at least 750, and it will be light and spongy by nine o'clock. Put two quarts of flour in the bread-pan, rub the lard into the flour, make a well in the center, and turn into it the sponge from the pail. Knead until the dough forms a round ball, adding more flour as needed. Turn it out upon the bread-board as soon as it has been kneaded so that it will not stick to the board, and knead at least twenty minutes, adding only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking during the work. Return the dough to the pan, cover closely with a thick cloth, and leave it in a warm place. In the morning mould the dough down, divide it into three parts, mould each part until smooth, place it in a separate pan and set it in a warm place. The loaves should rise to double their size in an hour and a-half; then place them in the oven, and bake an hour. Bread made in this way is out of the oven by ten o'clock in the morning and is very delicious. Milk may be used in place of water to set the sponge, but it should first be scalded to prevent it souring in the bread.

Compressed Yeast Bread

To make four large loaves, use

One quart of boiling water. Three large potatoes. About seven pints of flour. One-third of a cake of yeast. One table-spoonful of salt.

Cook potatoes for thirty minutes, and drain well; mash them, pour the boiling water over them and set away to cool. When lukewarm, add the dissolved yeast-cake and three quarts of the flour, beating the flour in with a spoon. Cover the bowl with a cloth and then with a board, and let its contents rise over night. In the morning add the salt and half the remaining flour, the rest of the flour being used for kneading the bread on the board. Turn the dough out upon the board, and knead it for twenty minutes; then return it to the bowl, cover, and let it rise to double its original size. Shape it into loaves, moulding them smooth; and when they have risen to double their original size, bake for an hour. The addition of a table-spoonful of sugar and one of lard or butter improves the bread for some tastes, and, if used, should be worked in with the salt when the bread is kneaded.