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Bread

Wheat Bread

A yeast‑leavened bread made with flour, water, yeast, salt, and optional saleratus for sourness.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Wheat Bread

Wheat Bread

Ingredients

Directions

Make the dough

  1. Mix boiling water and flour thoroughly.

  2. Add cold water and stir until the dough is the same temperature.

  3. When lukewarm, stir in the yeast and salt.

  4. Knead in flour until the dough is stiff and free from lumps.

  5. Cover with a thick cloth and place near a fire if it's cold.

  6. To check if risen, cut through the middle; it should be full of small holes.

  7. Bake as soon as it is light.

  8. If the dough gets sour, dissolve 1-2 teaspoons of saleratus in half a teacup of milk or water and mix it into the dough.

Shape and bake

  1. Mould the dough, slash it on both sides, and place it in a buttered tin pan.

  2. Let it stand for a few minutes before baking.

  3. Bake in a hot oven for 1 to 1.5 hours.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Flour
Forms the gluten network that gives the bread its structure and stiff, elastic dough.
Yeast
Produces gas as it ferments, causing the dough to rise and turn light and holey.
Boiling water
Partly scalds the flour, starting starch changes that help the dough hold moisture and texture.
Salt
Controls yeast activity and strengthens the gluten for a more even crumb.

The step that matters

Bake as soon as it is light. Baking before the dough has risen enough leaves a dense loaf, while over-proofing lets gas escape and the structure collapse. The cut-test for small holes shows when it is ready.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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