FoodNet

Principles of food preparation

1914

Page 67

Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
2. Tie one tablespoonful of each kind of flour in a five- inch square of cheesecloth. The mouth of these improvised bags should be tied tightly, but ample room must be al- lowed to manipulate the contents of each. Place each bag in about a cupful of water in a bowl, and knead the flour with the fingers until everything that will come through the cheesecloth has been worked out, and the FLOUR MIXTURES AND LEAVENS! BATTERS 151 mass left in the bag feels " rubbery." Open the bags, and compare the residues from the two kinds of flour. Which is the tougher? the yellower? the larger in quantity? Test this substance for protein. 3. Allow the Hquid to settle, and decant it carefully. What is the residue? Set this aside to dry, and compare the weight of each portion. 4. Test a portion of the decanted liquid for lime. (What test will you use? See Chapter XII, page 104.) 5. Test another portion for potassium. (What test will you use for this? See Chapter II, page 11.) 6. Filter another portion until quite clear; then apply heat. What do you observe? What is your inference? 7. Shake up a small amount of flour with twice its volume of ether in a test tube. Does the ether seem to dissolve any substance in the flour? Decant the liquid on to a piece of filter paper and let this stand until the ether evaporates. What is the nature of the stain on the filter paper? 8. Treat two tablespoonfuls of flour with four or five times its volume of a 10 per cent salt solution, placing the mixture in a flask and shaking it from time to time. Filter, and drop some of the clear filtrate into a large beaker of pure water. A cloudiness, or a very slight milky precipitate, indicates the presence of a class of proteins caUed globulins. (See Chapter XI, page 97.) Probably only a trace of this substance wifl be discerned. Better results may be obtained by allowing the flour to remain in the salt solution for several hours, or overnight. TOPICS FOR STUDY OR DISCUSSION 1. The structure of the wheat grain in detail. 2. The average composition of wheat. 152 PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PREPARATION 3. Varieties of wheat and their characteristics. 4. The cultivation of wheat; the effect of time of sowing, of soil, climate, and other conditions. 5. The manufacture of flour; how the composition of the product is affected by the process used. Various grades of flour; different varieties of flour, such as Gra- ham, whole wheat, etc. 6. Gliadin, glutenin, and gluten. 7. The globulins; where found in animal and vegetable foods. 8. Forms other than flour into which wheat is manu- factured. 9. Cereals other than wheat used in the manufacture of flour. 10. The great wheat-growing regions of this and other countries. Imports and exports of wheat. 11. Some great national crises in which this grain played an important part. QUESTIONS 1. Why were the sour-milk griddle cakes thicker, tenderer, and better risen than those made from sweet milk? 2. Name the four essential ingredients in flour mix- tures such as those studied in this chapter. Name the non-essentials. 3. State the general proportions of salt, baking powder, and liquid that might be used with one cup of flour to make a thin batter; to make a thick batter.