THE study of bread-making is very important in the
family diet, and well deserves the attention of
every housekeeper. With the present ingredients which
we have to make the good and perfect loaf, there is no
excuse for finding the poor one in any household. We
make bread from flour of wheat ^nd other cereals, with
the addition of water, milk and ferment. In the wheat
we find gluten in right proportions to make the spongy
loaf. The entire wheat flour is the most wholesome and
sustaining to the body, for in that we have all the
grain, with only the outside husk removed. In the
bran coats we find the mineral matter, in the gluten
the proteid matter and fat, and in the center of the
grain the starch. We distinguish the wheat as white
and liard or red and soft. The white is the winter
wheat and lies in the ground all winter, and the red
is sown in the spring and grown quickly. From the
winter wheat we make the pastry flour, and from the
spring the bread flour.
Yeast.
We will next consider the yeast. It is a plant of
fungous growth, and consists of spores or germs found
floating in the air. These spores grow very rapidly
under favorable conditions, and produce the ferment
which we need to lighten the loaf. Warm, moist air
14 SCIENTIFIC COOKING.
gives US the best conditions to hasten the growth of the
yeast plant. There are three kinds of fermentations
which we consider — alcoholic, acetic and lactic. In the
bread we find the alcoliolic. If the ferment continues
too long, we have the acetic. The lactic ferment is that
which takes place when the milk sours. The acid we
get in the sour milk is very good for the stomach, and
for this reason doctors recommend the drinking of but-
termilk for many of their patients. We scarcely con-
sider any yeast now but the compressed, except in the
country, where it can not be obtained. In that case we
have to resort to the dry yeast, or what is known as
salt rising. Be sure your yeast is perfectly fresh, which
you can determine by^ the light color with absence of
any dark streaks. The temperature best suited for the
growth of the yeast plant is from 68° F. to 70° F., in
a warm, moist air. The yeast plant is killed at 212° F.,
and the life of the plant is entirely suspended at 32°
F., but not entirely destroyed, and with warmth and
air can again be started.
Baking of Bread.
We bake bread to kill the ferment, to make diges-
tible the starch, to drive off the alcohol and carbon diox-
ide, and to form the brown, nicely flavored caromel
crust. We place bread in a hot oven, and lower the
heat as necessary as the process of baking goes on; for
the heat must reach the center of the loaf and cook it,
in order that the loaf may be healthy and digestible.
Always bake your loaves of bread in small pans holding
only the one loaf. The loaf should rise for ten or
twelve minutes before it begins to brown. Biscuit want
a hot oven, and will bake in twelve or fifteen minutes,
■according to the thickness of the biscuit. They should
BREAD AND BREAD-MAKING. 15
never be too thick. All bread wants to be thin, with
nice crust." If a tender crust is desired, brush the top
with butter a few moments before removing from the
oven. The best bread-box is a stone jar with stone cover,
and cloths should not be wrapped around bread, as
the bread will taste of cloth always.
Quick Bread.
Page 7
Presented as published in 1911. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
THE study of bread-making is very important in the family diet, and well deserves the attention of every housekeeper. With the present ingredients which we have to make the good and perfect loaf, there is no excuse for finding the poor one in any household. We make bread from flour of wheat and other cereals, with the addition of water, milk and ferment. In the wheat we find gluten in right proportions to make the spongy loaf. The entire wheat flour is the most wholesome and sustaining to the body, for in that we have all the grain, with only the outside husk removed. In the bran coats we find the mineral matter, in the gluten the proteid matter and fat, and in the center of the grain the starch. We distinguish the wheat as white and hard or red and soft. The white is the winter wheat and lies in the ground all winter, and the red is sown in the spring and grown quickly. From the winter wheat we make the pastry flour, and from the spring the bread flour.
Yeast.
We will next consider the yeast. It is a plant of fungous growth, and consists of spores or germs found floating in the air. These spores grow very rapidly under favorable conditions, and produce the ferment which we need to lighten the loaf. Warm, moist air
gives US the best conditions to hasten the growth of the yeast plant. There are three kinds of fermentations which we consider — alcoholic, acetic and lactic. In the bread we find the alcoholic. If the ferment continues too long, we have the acetic. The lactic ferment is that which takes place when the milk sours. The acid we get in the sour milk is very good for the stomach, and for this reason doctors recommend the drinking of buttermilk for many of their patients. We scarcely consider any yeast now but the compressed, except in the country, where it can not be obtained. In that case we have to resort to the dry yeast, or what is known as salt rising. Be sure your yeast is perfectly fresh, which you can determine by the light color with absence of any dark streaks. The temperature best suited for the growth of the yeast plant is from 68° F. to 70° F., in a warm, moist air. The yeast plant is killed at 212° F., and the life of the plant is entirely suspended at 32° F., but not entirely destroyed, and with warmth and air can again be started.
Baking of Bread.
We bake bread to kill the ferment, to make digestible the starch, to drive off the alcohol and carbon dioxide, and to form the brown, nicely flavored caramel crust. We place bread in a hot oven, and lower the heat as necessary as the process of baking goes on; for the heat must reach the center of the loaf and cook it, in order that the loaf may be healthy and digestible. Always bake your loaves of bread in small pans holding only the one loaf. The loaf should rise for ten or twelve minutes before it begins to brown. Biscuit want a hot oven, and will bake in twelve or fifteen minutes, ■according to the thickness of the biscuit. They should
never be too thick. All bread wants to be thin, with nice crust. If a tender crust is desired, brush the top with butter a few moments before removing from the oven. The best bread-box is a stone jar with stone cover, and cloths should not be wrapped around bread, as the bread will taste of cloth always.
Quick Bread.