To Make Bread

History

'To Make Bread' appears in Mary Randolph's The Virginia House-Wife (first published 1824; text here from an 1860 printing). The recipe begins with flour storage — advising that a good barrel of flour be emptied into a close-lidded chest or box, where Randolph says it keeps better than in the barrel and 'even improves by lying lightly'. For the dough she directs, per quart of sifted flour, 'two gills and a half of water,' 'a tea-spoon heaped up with salt,' and 'a large spoonful of yeast'. This mixture is stirred, then a handful of flour per quart is wetted into it and beaten smooth and free from lumps; a portion of the remaining flour is combined and the batter set to rise in a warm kettle, kneaded 'till it looks quite light,' and left to rise again. In the morning the dry crust is removed, the dough kneaded and formed into rolls on tin sheets, and proofed near the fire until the oven is ready. Randolph ties the timing to the season for fermentation control: 'In winter, make the bread up at three o'clock... In summer, make it up at five o'clock'. The record does not document any social, class, or status meaning attached to the dish.

Ingredients

• 1 quart flour
• 2.5 gills water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large spoonful yeast

Instructions

1. Empty your flour into a chest or box with a tight-fitting lid, which keeps it better than a barrel and allows it to improve with time.
2. For each quart of flour, measure two and a half gills of water into a bowl. Add a heaped teaspoon of salt and a large spoonful of yeast. Stir this mixture well.
3. In another bowl, place one handful of flour from each quart. Pour a little of the yeast mixture onto the flour to wet it, then add more gradually until all the mixture is incorporated. Beat well, taking great care that it is smooth and entirely free from lumps.
4. Take one-third of the flour from the kettle and pour the batter on it, then sprinkle the remaining dry flour over the top. Cover the kettle and set it in a place with moderate warmth to rise.
5. When it has risen well, turn it into a bowl and mix in the dry flour. Knead it on a board until it looks quite light. Return it to the kettle and place it where it can have proper heat.
6. In the morning, carefully remove the dry crust from the top. Put the dough on a board and knead it well. Shape it into rolls and set them on tin sheets. Cover with a towel and let them stand near the fire until the oven is ready.
7. Note: In winter, make the bread at three o'clock in the afternoon—it will be ready to work before bedtime. In summer, make it up at five o'clock. After baking, rasp the bread.