Physical culture cook book

For the following chapters, the proper time required for cooking each dish is given. CHAPTER V. BREAD, ROLLS, BISCUITS, ETC. Bread made of the whole grain flours forms a most important article of diet, since the grains contain more nourishment than any other foods. It would seem almost unnecessary, in this age of hygienic reform, to speak at any length of the unwholesomeness of the ordinary bolted "white" flour as compared with the entire wheat or other coarser flours. Yet we see "white bread" served at so many tables, and so little use made of the whole wheat flour, that one must needs conclude that many people are unacquainted with the hygienic value of the latter. In making the white flour, much of the nourishing part of the grain is bolted away, leaving little but the starchy element, whereas in the entire or whole wheat flour, the gluten and phosphates, so necessary to build muscle, to make bone, to enrich the blood, are retained. Whole-wheat bread is easier of digestion, better for the teeth and much more nourishing than the white, and as all kinds of biscuits and rolls, and even cakes and pies, can be made from the wholewheat flour, it is used in most of the following recipes. Try it, and I doubt if you will ever go back to the other flour. Above all, give it to the children, whose growing bodies need just the elements it contains. For shortening, use pure olive oil instead of lard. In making bread a few general directions must be carefully followed. Sift the flour and do not let it be too cold — it is best to set it in a warm place for an hour or so before using, have the water or milk warm, and dissolve the yeast in warm water; make a soft dough; set in a warm place, out of draughts, and cover with a pan and a cloth, to rise over night. When in the pans, the dough should only one-half or one-third fill them ; the pans should be put in a warm place for the second rising. I put mine on the plate warmer if the fire is not too hot. The oven must be moderately hot. Try it by putting your bare arm in, and if you cannot count thirty without withdrawing your arm it is too hot. The heat should be steady while the bread is baking. Put the loaves on the bottom of the oven at first, and lay a piece of brown paper over them, or on the grate of the oven, to prevent the crust from getting too brown. In making muffins or biscuits, have the dough soft; bake quickly, of course; always mix the baking powder with the flour, and sift with the other ingredients. i. Whole-Wheat Bread No. i (Excellent). — Two quarts flour, one quart lukewarm milk, one-half cake compressed yeast, one-half cup molasses, one tablespoonful shortening, two teaspoonfuls salt. Dissolve the yeast in a little of the warm water. Sift and warm the flour, work. in the shortening, and add other ingredients. Mix well, either with a spoon or with the hands. The dough will be too soft to knead, but must be mixed or beaten. Let it rise over night. In the morning mix well again. Pat into two greased bread pans, cover and set in a warm place to rise again for about one hour or until risen to the tops of the pans. Bake i% hours in a moderate oven.