Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England: by Geruase Markham. The whole contents are in the page following

Leauen.

LEauen, called in Latine Fermentum, because it puffeth vp, and swelleth in conti∣nuance of time, is a lump of paste left of the last masse of dough, couered and hid∣den in the meale vvhich is kneaded, to take away the clamminesse and cleauing pro∣pertie vvhich is in the meale that is purposed to bee made into bread. This Leauen becommeth sowre by continuance of time, and thereby maketh the bread more delightsome, and of a more pleasant taste. Againe, vve see that bread, by how much the more Leauen it hath, by so much the more vvholsome and vvell relishing it is, o∣uer and aboue that vvhich hath lesse store of Leauen in it. It is indifferently hote, and a little cold: hot by reason of the putrifaction vvhich it is cast into, and cold by the nature of the meale. This Leauen is made diuers sorts of vvayes, according to the manners and fashions of countries: wee make it of Wheat paste to make Wheat bread, and of Rie paste to make Rie bread: some put vnto it Salt, some Vineger, and many Verjuice made of Crabbes. The workers in Pastrie do vse the rising of Beere to make their Wigges vvithal, as vve shal haue further occasion to speak of it in lay∣ing open the vvay to make Beere. People of old and auncient times did make it di∣uers vvayes, as Plinie reporteth. The Flemings do mightily boile their Wheate, and take off the scumme that riseth thereof in boiling, which they let grow thick, and vse the same in stead of Leauen: and that is the cause vvhy their bread is a great deale lighter than ours. Howsoeuer it is, the Leauen vvhich men-bakers and vvomen-ba∣kers doe vse to make their bread vvithall, may bee kept fifteene daies and not any more because after such time it corrupteth and decayeth. But to be sure▪ it is not good to keepe it so long: for to keepe it you must vvorke it vp into a round paste, couer and hide it ouer in meale; and besides, in vvinter it must be couered ouer withgood store of clothes in the kneading trough. When the good vvife of the house is purposed to bake her paste, she must two or three dayes before, or, vvhich is better, ouer night, kneade in her said Leauens vvith hote vvater, or else with cold, according to the time and diuersitie of the corne, vvhereof she meaneth to make her bread, as we will speake further of by and by. The vvorkers in paste-meates doe vse but verie little Leauen in their crusts, or none at all, either because it vvould make so small a quantitie of paste as they vse to make their crusts of, too sowre, or else because the Leauen vvould draw vnto it all the Butter, or such other fat as they should mingle amongst their paste, for as much as Leauen hath the power to draw moisture vnto it, as vvee may easily proue by Apostumes, vvhich vvhen we vvould haue to ripen and swell vp higher, vvee vse to applie a paister of Leauen to them. Furthermo••e, if it should happen that the Baker, or good vvife of the house should finde her Leauen too sowre, and that she cannot come by any other, the remedie must be to knead her Leauen with hotter wa∣ter than she would if it vvere in its proper nature and kinde, that so by the heate of the vvater the Leauen may recouer some strength, and somewhat renew its naturall force, hauing lost its naturall heat, vvhereas on the contrarie, vvhen the Leauen is in its kind and as it should be, there is not any thing but cold water to be vsed about it.