When the thicker batter or second sponge is sufficiently light, it will have risen to nearly double its original bulk and become cracked over the top like “crazed” china.  It should never be allowed to rise to the point of sinking or caving in, and should be kneaded as soon as ready.  If for any reason it is not possible to knead the bread at once when it has arrived at this stage, do not allow it to stand, but take a knife or spoon and gently beat it back a little.  This dissipates some of the gas and reduces the volume somewhat.  Let it rise again, which it will do in a short time, if it has not been allowed to become too light.  If dough that has been kneaded and allowed to rise in mass, becomes sufficiently light at some inopportune moment for shaping into loaves, it may be kept from becoming too light and souring, by taking a knife and cutting it away from the sides of the bowl and gradually working it over toward the center.  Re-cover and put in a warm place.  It will soon assume its former bulk.  This “cutting down” may be repeated several times if necessary, provided the bread has not been allowed to become too light at any time, and some cook’s recommend it as a uniform practice.  We do not, however, except in case of necessity; since, though it may possibly make the bread more light, the long-continued fermentation destroys more than is necessary of the food elements of the flour, and develops an unnecessary amount of the products of fermentation.  Lightness is not the only requisite for bread, and should be secured with as little deterioration of the flour as possible.

An important point in the preparation of bread is to decide when it is sufficiently light after having been molded and placed in pans.  The length of time cannot be given, because it will vary with the temperature, the quality of the flour, and the quantity added during the kneading.  At a temperature of 75 deg., an hour or an hour and a half is about the average length of time needed.  A loaf should nearly double its size after being placed in a pan, before baking; when perfectly risen, the bread feels light when lifted and weighed upon the hand.  It is better to begin the baking before it has perfectly risen them to wait until it has become so light as to commence to fall, since if the fermentation proceeds too far, the sweetness of the grain will be destroyed, and the bread will be tasteless and innutritious, even if it does not reach the acetous stage.

The exercise of a little judgment and careful attention to detail will soon enable a person successfully to determine the proper degree of lightness of bread in its various stages.  Bread which passes the extreme point of fermentation, or in common phrase gets “too light,” will have a strong acid odor, and will pull away from the bowl in a stringy mass, having a watery appearance very different from the fine, spongy texture of properly risen dough.  The acidity of such dough may be neutralized by the addition of an alkali, and housewives who through carelessness and inattention have allowed their bread to become “sour,” often resort to saleratus or soda to neutralize the acid.  The result of such treatment is unwholesome bread, wholly unfit for food.  It is better economy to throw away bread material which needs to be sweetened with soda than to run the risk of injury to health by using it.