Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-01-16
For the Chron
GOOD BREAD.
JOHN BRowN, Jr.


GOOD BREAD.
" Man cannot live by bread alone, or
very well without it." On account Of
the rainy harvest of last season, much
grown wheat is on hand, and will un-
doubledly be forced into market there.
fore it will be necessary for husbands,
{ in order 10 keep their wives in good hu-
mor,) to avoid purchasing flour from
grown wheat. Good -four may general
ly be known. When squeezed by the
hand, it bears the minute Impress of the
fingers, and skin, longer than bad or
adulterated -four. But, if unfortunately,
-four from grown wheat is already slowed
away in the pantry, it will be convenient
for the wife to know the DaOdus operdndi
whereby bad bIead may be avoided.
The principle constituents of -four, are
starch, gluten and some sugar. Bolted
flour is richer in starch, while brown
-four is richer in gluten, hence bread from
unbolled -four is more nutritive than white
bread, but at the same time less digesti-
Bile, (soluble.) When -four is mixed
with luke warm water TO thick paste,
covered with a board and remains for
time in warm place, it undergoes three
successive changes.
First, bubbles Of air are evolved from
it, having an acid. unpleasant smell, and
the dough has now the capacity of con-
verting sugar into Tactic acid. Second
ly, the dough acquires pleasant odor,
and with a solution of sugar, adds like
yeast; that is, decomposes sugar into al
cohol and carbonic acid. A third change
then ensues. The dough acquires an
acid taste, because the alcohol generated
in the second process passes into acetic
acid, (leaven.)
The different actions of the -four, in
the three states of decomposition, upon
the sugar depend upon the altered gluten.
In the first change the gluten may be re-
garded as a Tactic acid ferment; the
second an acoholic ferment; the third
vinegar ferment. The first two changes
occur rapidly in making bread, on account
of the heat and the ferment added pur-
posely. The surface yeast of beer is the
most powerful alcoholic fermenl, by which
the sugar contained in the meal is resol-
we'd into alcohol and car6onic acid, which
in the form of gas struggling TO escape,
renders the tough mass of dough light
and porous. From The rapid heating of
the oven, the alcohol, carbonic acid and
one half ofthe water employed, volatilize,
and cause the cellular partitions of the
dough. The bread by baking attains
solidity, and the interstices retain their
form and place.
The same changes will not occur in
flour from germinated wheat; for when
termination takes place in wheat, the
starch and sugar of the seed, which are
soluble, are absorbed by the radicle; at
the same time oxygen gas, a constituent
part Of alcohol, is consumed and carbonie
acid gas is given of. Sugar, the COM
pound of alcohol and carbonic acid, the
generators of the porosity of light bread,
is wanting in -four fromgerninated wheat;
hence the running dough which ladies
scold about. The slaves Of Virginia
make light wheat bread, without yeast or
soda, (called Carolina biscuit,) by aprocess
which they call pounding the air into
it."
Carbonic acid gas, as applied to the
rising of bread, is often generated without
the fermentation of sugar, by mixing Pul.
verized bicarbonate of soda without -four,
and kneading the mixture into dough, but
still The alcohol is wanting if the wheat
has germinated. City bakers in prepar-
ing light and spongy cakes often khead
alcohol, or rum into the dough. to promote
the rising.
This is the theory and now will some
of our female amateurs of the glorious
art of making good bread, try some prac.
tical experiments, on -four from germi-
mated wheat and give a detail of their