Bread Made with Dry Yeast
- 2 quarts flour
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 Tbsp lard or butter
- 1 yeast cake
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Sift the flour in the bread pan.
Break up the yeast cake and put in a quart bowl. Add 1/2 cup of water and mash with a spoon until the yeast and water are well mixed. Beat in 1/2 cup of flour. Cover the bowl and set in a warm location for 2 hours. At the end of that time, the batter should be a perfect sponge.
Add to the sponge a pint of lukewarm water, half of the lard, sugar and salt. Stir this mixture into the flour and mix with a spoon.
Sprinkle the board with flour, turn out the dough and knead for 20 minutes, using as little flour as possible. At the end of this time, the ball of dough should be soft, smooth and stretchy.
Place the dough in the bowl and rub the second spoonful of lard over it. Cover with a towel, then a tin cover. Set the bowl in a warm location and let it rise overnight.
When you awake the next day, the dough will have increased 3 times its original volume and be a perfect sponge. Knead it in the bowl for 5 minutes; do not use flour. Shape into 3 small loaves.
Put the loaves in deep pans. With a sharp knife, cut lengthwise through the center of each loaf. Put the pans in a warm location and cover with a linen cloth. Let the loaves rise to twice their size, then bake for 50 minutes (be patient, you rascal).
Break up the yeast cake and put in a quart bowl. Add 1/2 cup of water and mash with a spoon until the yeast and water are well mixed. Beat in 1/2 cup of flour. Cover the bowl and set in a warm location for 2 hours. At the end of that time, the batter should be a perfect sponge.
Add to the sponge a pint of lukewarm water, half of the lard, sugar and salt. Stir this mixture into the flour and mix with a spoon.
Sprinkle the board with flour, turn out the dough and knead for 20 minutes, using as little flour as possible. At the end of this time, the ball of dough should be soft, smooth and stretchy.
Place the dough in the bowl and rub the second spoonful of lard over it. Cover with a towel, then a tin cover. Set the bowl in a warm location and let it rise overnight.
When you awake the next day, the dough will have increased 3 times its original volume and be a perfect sponge. Knead it in the bowl for 5 minutes; do not use flour. Shape into 3 small loaves.
Put the loaves in deep pans. With a sharp knife, cut lengthwise through the center of each loaf. Put the pans in a warm location and cover with a linen cloth. Let the loaves rise to twice their size, then bake for 50 minutes (be patient, you rascal).
Submitted by May 18, 2010
9 min 1035 min 1044 min
9 min 1035 min 1044 min