Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume I Part 24

91. COFFEE CAKE.--When an especially good kind of biscuit that can be served for breakfast and eaten with coffee is desired, coffee cake made according to the following recipe should be used. Cinnamon sprinkled over the top of such cake imparts a very pleasing flavour, but if more of this flavour is preferred 1 teaspoonful of cinnamon may be mixed with the dough.

COFFEE CAKE (Sufficient for One Cake)

1 cake compressed yeast 1/2 c. lukewarm milk 1 Tb. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 2 c. white flour 1 egg 2 Tb. fat 1/4 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. white flour additional for kneading

Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk and add the sugar and the salt.

Stir in 1 cupful of flour and let the mixture rise. When the sponge is light, add the beaten egg, the fat and the brown sugar creamed, and the remaining flour. Knead until the dough is smooth and allow it to rise until it is double in bulk. Then roll the dough until it is 1/2 inch thick, place it in a shallow pan, and let it rise until it is light.

Brush the top with 1 tablespoonful of melted b.u.t.ter and sprinkle it with 3 teaspoonfuls of cinnamon and 3 tablespoonfuls of sugar. Bake 10 to 15 minutes in a moderately hot oven.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 22]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 23]

92. CINNAMON ROLLS.--To make cinnamon rolls, which are preferred by some persons to coffee cake, use may be made of the preceding coffee-cake recipe. However, instead of rolling the dough 1/2 inch thick, roll it 1/4 inch thick and brush it with melted b.u.t.ter. Then sprinkle it with 1 tablespoonful of cinnamon, 1/2 cupful of light-brown sugar, and 1/2 cupful of chopped raisins. Next, roll this as a jelly roll and cut the roll into 1/2-inch slices, as shown in Fig. 22. Place these slices close together in a shallow pan and let them rise until they are light, as in Fig. 23. Then bake them in a hot oven for about 15 minutes.

TOAST

93. As every one knows, TOAST is sliced bread browned by means of heat.

To make toast is not a difficult process, but a certain amount of care must be exercised if good results are desired. The slices used for toast may be cut thick or thin, depending on whether the persons for whom the toast is made prefer a soft or a dry toast and whether the digestibility of the toast is to be taken into consideration. If thick slices are used and they are toasted the usual length of time necessary to make the surfaces brown, the centre of the slices will remain soft. Toast made of thin slices and toasted over a slow fire becomes dry and crisp during the process of browning and is more digestible than that which is moist.

Such toast will not lose its crispness unless the pieces are piled in a heap while they are hot and are allowed to soften from the moisture that collects. While toast is usually served in the form of slices, just as they are cut from the loaf, the pieces may be cut into shapes of various kinds; in fact, toast becomes more attractive if it is cut in unusual shapes. The crust of toast may be trimmed off or left on, as desired.

94. If the best results are desired in the making of toast, considerable attention must be given to the heat that is to produce the toast.

Whatever kind is employed, it should be steady and without flame. Before a coal or a c.o.ke fire is used for this purpose, it should be allowed to burn down until the flame is gone and the coals are hot enough to reflect the heat for toasting. If a gas toaster is used, the gas should be turned sufficiently low for the bread to brown slowly. Very good results are obtained from the use of an electric toaster, also. This device has become a rather common household article where electricity is used in the home, and by means of it the toast can be made on the table and served while it is fresh and hot. In whatever way toast is made, it will lose much of its attractiveness unless it is served while it is fresh and before it loses its heat. If toast becomes burned, either from a flame that is too hot or from inattention on the part of the person who is preparing it, it may be made fit for use by sc.r.a.ping it lightly with a knife or by rubbing it across a grater, so as to remove the burned portion.

95. MILK TOAST.--Milk and toast make a combination that is liked by many persons, and when these two foods are combined the result is known as milk toast. To make milk toast, simply pour over the toast rich milk that has been heated and seasoned with salt, a little sugar, and a little b.u.t.ter. Thin white sauce may also be used for this purpose if desired.

96. FRENCH TOAST.--Possibly no dish in which toast is used is better known than the so-called French toast. Both milk and egg are used in making this dish, and these of course add to the food value of the bread. French toast made according to the following recipe will prove very satisfactory.

FRENCH TOAST (Sufficient to Serve Eight)

1 egg 1 c. milk 2 tsp. sugar 8 slices of bread 1/2 tsp. salt

Beat the egg and add it to the milk, salt, and sugar. Dip each slice of bread into this liquid, turn it quickly, and then remove it. Place the bread thus dipped in a hot frying pan and saute it until the under side is brown; then turn it and brown the other side. Serve hot with sirup or jelly.

LEFT-OVER BREAD

97. Bread that has become stale need not be wasted, for there are many uses to which it may be put. As such bread has lost much of its moisture, it is desirable for toast, for it browns more quickly and makes crisper toast than fresh bread. Thick slices of it may also be cut into cubes or long, narrow strips and then toasted on all sides, to be served with soup instead of crackers. Still another use that can be made of stale bread is to toast it and then cut it into triangular pieces to be served with creamed dishes or used as a garnish for meats, eggs, and various entrees. Left-over toast may also be cut in this way and used for these purposes.

98. The ends of loaves, crusts trimmed from bread used for sandwiches, or stale bread or rolls that cannot be used for the purposes that have been mentioned can also be utilised, so none of them need be thrown away. If such pieces are saved and allowed to dry thoroughly in the warming oven or in an oven that is not very hot, they may be broken into crumbs by putting them through a food chopper or rolling them with a rolling pin. After the crumbs are obtained, they should be put through a coa.r.s.e sieve in order to separate the coa.r.s.e ones from the fine ones.

Such crumbs, both coa.r.s.e and fine, may be kept for some time if they are put into jars or cans.

It is a very good plan to keep a supply of bread crumbs on hand, for there are numerous dishes that require the use of bread in this form.

For instance, bread crumbs are used for all kinds of scalloped dishes; for making puddings, such as bread pudding, brown Betty, etc.; for stuffing fish, fowl, and such vegetables as tomatoes and peppers; for covering the top of baked dishes, such as various egg and cheese dishes; for breading steaks and chops; and for covering croquettes or oysters that are to be fried. They may also be added to m.u.f.fins, griddle cakes, and even yeast-bread dough. With so many uses to which bread crumbs can be put, no housewife need be at a loss to know how to utilise any sc.r.a.ps of bread that are not, for some reason, suitable for the table.

BREAD

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

(1) Mention the ingredients required for bread making.

(2) From what kind of wheat is bread flour usually made?

(3) (_a_) What is gluten? (_b_) Why is it necessary for the making of bread?

(4) (_a_) What is meant by a blend flour? (_b_) When is its use indicated?

(5) How may the kind and quality of flour be judged in purchasing it?

(6) (_a_) What is yeast? (_b_) What things are necessary for its growth?

(_c_) What temperature is best for its growth?

(7) (_a_) What is produced by the growth of yeast? (_b_) What part does this play in bread making?

(8) What determines the quant.i.ty of yeast to use in bread making?

(9) (_a_) What will hasten the bread-making process? (_b_) What will r.e.t.a.r.d it?

(10) Give the general proportions of the main ingredients used for making a loaf of bread.

(11) What are the advantages of: (_a_) the long process of bread making?

(_b_) the quick process?

(12) What is: (_a_) a sponge? (_b_) a dough?

(13) (_a_) Why must bread dough be kneaded? (_b_) How is it possible to tell when dough has been kneaded sufficiently?

(14) At what temperature should bread be kneaded?

(15) How should bread be cared for after it is removed from the oven?

(16) What points are considered in the scoring of bread?

(17) What part of bread making may be done in a bread mixer?

(18) What are the differences in time and oven temperatures in baking rolls and bread?

(19) Mention briefly the procedure in making rolls, buns, and biscuits.

(20) Score a loaf of bread you have made and submit the points as you have scored it.

HOT BREADS