liquid may be necessary, and to convert the whole, with thorough steady kneading, into a firm but flexible paste, which, after standing in a suitable place until it has swollen to nearly double its original size, is again thoroughly kneaded, and once more left to rise or become porous, before it is moulded into loaves, and despatched to the oven. The required proportion of the different ingredients, and the time for the proper fermentation of the dough, will be found given with exactness in the various receipts for bread contained in this book.

To make dough by setting a sponge. — This method of making dough is usually followed when there is any doubt either of the goodness or of the sufficient quantity of the yeast which is used for it; because if it should not become light after standing a certain time, more yeast, mixed with a little warm liquid, can easily be added to it, and the chance of having heavy bread be thus avoided. After the salt has been well mixed with the flour, a hole is made in the centre, and the yeast, very smoothly diluted with a certain portion of warm water or milk-and-water, is gradually poured into it, the surrounding flour being stirred to it as this is done, so as to convert it into a rather thick batter, quite free from lumps. If the batter be thin, it will rise more quickly, but this is not desirable. Plenty of flour is then strewed on the surface, and it is left until the sponge has broken

through it, and appears full of small bubbles. Sufficient warm liquid is then added and stirred in with a strong wooden spoon, and the kneading is then accomplished with the hands. The precise manner of effecting this, is so minutely described in the "Directions to the Learner," page 129., that it does not appear needful to enter further upon it here.

Observation. When coarse salt is used in making bread, it should be thoroughly dissolved and stirred to the liquid with which the dough is moistened. Fine salt may be well mingled in its dry state with the flour.

Dough slowly fermented with a very small quantity of yeast.—The method which is pursued in France and other countries in preparing a rich light cake or bun, called brioche, may be followed quite successfully for bread, as regards the proportion of yeast employed and the time allowed for the fermentation of the dough, which should be made firm, and be thoroughly kneaded, then tightly rolled in a thick cloth, and left for a night before it is baked. The brioche, which is but an unwholesome compound, though very light, if properly made, is managed thus :—A fourth part of the flour destined for the paste, is made into a leaven, with a small portion of good yeast, and sufficient warm water to bring it to the consistence of rather spongy dough. This is placed near the

fire until it has swollen considerably, and shows that it is at the proper point of fermentation. large quantity of butter is crumbled into the remainder of the flour, which is then wetted up entirely with as many unbeaten eggs as can be worked into it.

When the leaven is at its full height, this paste is rolled out, and the leaven is spread over and kneaded up with it; and, that they may be thoroughly amalgamated, they are cut up into several portions and changed about, and kneaded until the whole forms a pliable smooth mass, of which all the ingredients are perfectly incorporated. For two pounds of flour half an ounce, at the utmost, of beer-yeast is used; and this is very little when the difficulty is considered of rendering cakes extremely light with it, which contain a large proportion of butter.

The same weight of flour may be at once converted into bread-dough by mixing with it a little salt and a single teaspoonful of fresh solid yeast, very carefully diluted with about three-quarters of a pint of luke-warm milk and water, or in sultry weather, with cold liquid instead. The manner in which this is to be further managed, is fully explained in the receipt for "Rolls cold-made."

A batter-sponge for very light bread or cakes. —Directions for this will be found in the article "A Sally Lunn."

To soften dough or paste when it is too stiff.— Although bread-dough, and that of household bread more particularly, should always be sufficiently firm not to spread about after it is made into loaves, if it be very stiff indeed, it will not, as I have said, rise easily, and in cold weather will sometimes not rise at all. In that case, dip the ends of the fingers into hot water, and press them quite wet into the dough; turn the dry part over that which is moistened and knead it well; and repeat this until it becomes flexible. Then set it where it will have a proper degree of warmth, without being heated; and it will probably prove light, but much more than the usual time of rising may be required to make it so.

CAUSES OF FAILURE IN MAKING BREAD.

Yeast which is no longer sweet, or which has been frozen, or which has been scalded, by having over-hot liquid poured to it, will fail to produce light bread.

Too small a proportion of yeast, or insufficient time allowed for the dough to rise, will have a similar effect.

Heavy bread will also most likely be the result of making the dough very hard, and letting it become quite cold, particularly in winter.

If either the sponge or the dough be permitted

to overwork itself, that is to say, if the mixing and kneading be neglected when it has reached the proper point for either, sour bread will probably be the consequence in warm weather; and bad bread in any. Its goodness will also be endangered by placing it so near a fire as to make any part of it hot, intead of maintaining the gentle and equal degree of heat required for its due fermentation.

Milk or butter-milk which is not perfectly sweet, will not only injure the flavour of the bread, but in sultry weather will often cause it to be quite uneatable; yet either of them, if fresh and good, will materially improve its quality.

THE TESTS OF WELL-MADE BREAD.

Good bread will feel light in the hand when lifted in it, which will not be the case with that which has been imperfectly kneaded, as described under the head of "6 Proper fermentation of dough," and which, whatever its appearance may be, will generally prove half-heavy at least.

Good bread when cut will resemble a fine sponge of uniform texture, and be equally free from the spaces caused by large air-bubbles; and from the dark streaks which show either that it has been made with adulterated flour, or that it it has been inattentively prepared, or too heavily kneaded when it was made up for the oven. The loaves