the sponge is set in the _morning_,
dough made in the afternoon, and the rising and working done in the
evening; when, instead of making up into rolls, horns, or kringles,
push the dough down thoroughly, cover with a damp folded cloth, and put
in a _very_ cold place if in summer--not on ice of course--then next
morning, as soon as the fire is alight, mold, but do not push down any
more, put in a very warm spot, and when light, bake.

In summer, as I have said, I think it safest, to prevent danger of
souring, to put a little soda in the sponge for bread; and for rolls, or
anything requiring to rise several times, it is an essential precaution.

BRIOCHE.--I suppose the very name of this delectable French dainty will
call up in the mind's eye of many who read this book that great "little"
shop, _Au Grand Brioche_, on the Boulevarde Poissoniere, where, on
Sunday afternoons, scores of boys from the Lycees form _en queue_ with
the general public, waiting the hour when the piles of golden brioche
shall be ready to exchange for their eager sous. But I venture to say, a
really fine brioche is rarely eaten on this side the Atlantic. They
being a luxury welcome to all, and especially aromatic of Paris, I tried
many times to make them, obtaining for that purpose recipes from French
friends, and from standard French books, but never succeeded in
producing the ideal brioche until I met with Gouffe's great book, the
"_Livre de Cuisine_," after reading which, I may here say, all secrets
of the French kitchen are laid bare; no effort is spared to make
everything plain, from the humble _pot-au-feu_ to the most gorgeous
monumental _plat_. And I would refer any one who wants to become
proficient in any French dish, to that book, feeling sure that, in
following strictly the directions, there will be no failure. It is the
one book I have met with on the subject in which no margin is left for
your own knowledge, if you have it, to fill up. But to the brioche.

PARIS JOCKEY-CLUB RECIPE FOR BRIOCHE.

Sift one pound of flour, take one fourth of it, and add rather more than
half a cake of compressed yeast, dissolved in half a gill of warm water,
make into a sponge with a _very little_ more water, put it in a warm
place; when it is double its volume take the rest of the flour, make a
hole in the center, and put in it an equal quantity of salt and sugar,
about a teaspoonful, and two tablespoonfuls of water to dissolve them.
Three quarters of a