FoodNetArchive

Paul Richards' book of breads, cakes, pastries, ices and sweetmeats

1907

Page 115

Presented as published in 1907. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
The glacfis may be served in drum-shaped cases; or ice cream may be frozen in brick form, in layers representing the American flag. Old Glory with the thirteen original stars and stripes. Many of the frozen creams in brick form are very delicious, if served with a sauce. One of these favorites is Vanilla Ice Cream with choco- late sauce; another is Bisque or Nut Ice Cream with maple syrup sauce. The maple sauce is made by reducing one pound of maple sugar with half a pint of water to a thick syrup. For cold chocolate sauce see No. 443. Frozen individual Fruit Creams may be frozen without molds, using the fruit. Remove the inside of solid bananas or oranges; cut the inside of apples and pears, leaving a thin shell. Place the shells in the ice cave or freezer to harden, then fill with frozen cream and serve. These creams are made still more beautiful if served in baskets made from ices or creams, or molded from nougat or meringue placed on another tray on which they are handed around. END OF FIFTH PART. Part 6. 878.-BREADMAKING. To make good bread, there are three things required : First, good flour ; second, good yeast; and third, a person with practice and experience, who knows how to use flour and yeast to make bread out of it. Most difficulties for bakers arise from the variety of flours in use. Almost every section of this country produces flours of different qualities. Bakers used to Eastern flours often have trouble going West, and have to learn the use of these flours before they are able to make good bread. Flours of different qualities require more or less fermentation and different treatment in sponge and doughs. The varieties of wheat are divided into spring wheat and winter wheat. The winter wheat is planted in the fall, and the spring wheat in the early spring. The best grade of spring wheat, the hard red spring wheats, have come from the Northwest, from Minnesota, Dakota and Manitoba. The Southwest, espe- cially Kansas, also Texas and Oklahoma, raise a good hard red winter wheat which makes good bread flours. The winter wheats are known as hard and soft red winter wheat and soft white winter wheat. The soft grades are mostly used for cake and pastry flours; the others are used in blends with spring wheat flours. The Oregon and California wheats make a flour of good color and -flavor, but because they contain much starch, they are classed among the weak bread flours. It is a well known fact that winter wheat flours possess a better flavor, and give more moisture to the bread; for this reason the various kinds of spring and winter wheat flours are blended into mixtures which give a good flavor to the breads and at the same time a larger loaf. The mills and the large modern bakeries have laboratories, in which grains and flours are tested before milling or baking, to ascertain their bread-making qualities, which enables them to turn out a uniform blend of flour. The process of testing is done on a scientific basis, which requires a technical knowledge of chem- istry. The blending is done by complicated sifting machinery. Therefore, it is best for the small baker to use a standard brand of flour; the brand is the trademark of the miller, and is generally kept at a uniform quality. A plain test for flour, is to place several samples side by side on a board or stiff paper and smooth them with a knife as much as possi- ble. In this manner flour is tested for its freedom from bran and for color. The strong bread flours have a yellow color and a sharp granular feel when rubbed between the fingers, while the weaker flours are more white of color and feel smooth and heavy in the hand. Another simple test is to take even quantities of the different samples, say an ounce of each, and mix with even parts of water into a paste; the flour which makes the firmest paste is the strongest and yields the most bread.