Avoid a cold draft or sudden change of temperature, as it checks
fermentation and affects the flavor.

Never allow bread to rise until it "settles," or runs over the side of
the bowl. The usual rule is to let it rise until it is double in bulk,
both in the bowl and after it is put into the pans. If it is not
convenient to bake the bread when ready, it may be kneaded again and
kept in a cool place, to prevent souring. Bread should be mixed in a
stone or granite bowl.

The only necessary ingredients for bread are water, flour, salt, and
yeast. Sugar may be added to restore the natural sweetness of the
flour which has been lost during fermentation, but it is not
necessary. If milk is used, and the bread well kneaded, no other
shortening is required; but with water, the addition of a little
butter or dripping makes the bread more tender, therefore it is more
easily penetrated by the digestive fluids. Tough, leathery bread is
not easily digested, no matter how light it may be. As already stated,
by the action of heat the ferment is killed, the starch-grains
ruptured, the gas carried off, and the crust formed. In order that
bread may be thoroughly cooked, and plenty of crust formed, each loaf
should be baked in a pan about 4 inches deep, 4 to 6 inches wide, and
from 8 to 12 inches long. Smaller loaves are even more desirable. It
is very difficult to bake a large loaf so as to insure the escape of
all the carbonic acid gas, and to cook the starch sufficiently without
injuring the crust, besides entailing an unnecessary waste of fuel.
The custom of baking several loaves together in one large pan is
contrary to all scientific rules of bread-making. The oven should be
hot enough to brown a spoonful of flour in five minutes, for bread.