Science of food & cookery

Cut stale bread into slices about ^ of an inch thick, put into a shallow baking pan in single layers, and set in a slow oven until thoroughly dried. Then put into a moderate oven, and allow it to brown to a golden color through the entire thickness. PULLED ZWIEBACK Take fresh bread, and break carefully, pulling into pieces instead of using pressure. The pieces should be about the size of a medium apple. Proceed to dry and bake, the same as for cut zwieback. UNFERMENTED BREADS Un fermented breads are of two kinds, dough breads and batter • breads. Being free from any chemical or ferment, they are wholesome, and are easily digested when properly made. Space will not permit us to enter into an extended discussion of the effects following the use of sodium bicarbonate (soda) and baking powders in bread making. However, a few quotations from authoritative sources may be of interest. Harvey W. Wiley, food expert and chemist, in his book "Foods and Their Adulteration," under the caption "Harmfulness of Baking Powder Residues," page 253, has the following to say: "The question of harmfulness of the residues left by the various forms of baking powder is one which has been of much interest to the hygienist and physician. It is not claimed in any case that the residues are beneficial. The principal question which has been discussed is, Which of them is the least harmful ? This is a question which it is not proper to enter into in this manual. It might, however, not be out of place to say that the use of chemical reagents for leavening bread is not so advisable as the ordinary fermentation." "It would be better, evidently, if all people used more yeast breads and less baking powder rolls. At the same time, the utility and convenience of baking powder cannot be denied, and this is a factor which must be taken into consideration in the general discussion and final resolution of the question." In writing for Good Housekeeping, May, 1914, on the subject "The Baking Powder Question," Dr. Wiley says further : "As a matter of fact, all baking powders leave residues in the food. The alum baking powders leave a residue consisting of Glauber's salts (sulphate of soda) and aluminum hydrate. The cream of tartar baking powders leave a residue of tartrate of soda and potash, — Rochelle salts. The phosphoric baking powders leave a residue of phosphate of lime and soda." "According to my own personal view, the continual ingestion of bread containing excessive quantities of mineral ingredients of any of the kinds mentioned above is not desirable. Of the three kinds of salts which are left in the bread, there is little choice between those produced by the cream of tartar and phosphoric breads." "My advice to housekeepers is to use as little baking powder as possible. Serve unleavened bread, or that which is leavened with yeast. The man who will invent a pure carbon dioxide in a compressed form which can be liberated in bread without leaving any residue will be a benefactor to the race."