The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1857-02-26
Hlisrrllanrullg Rraaina.
Food-PhiTosophy-Bread.

Soou xnlioSCpny-Bread
There is no kind Of vegetable food more
palatable, healthy, or nutritious, than good
bread made Of fermented wheat flour. And
although 1t is not the most common bread
used IN every country, yet we believe it is
the most highly esteemed by all. Where,
or by whom l.avened bread was first ,liscov
cred, Is unknown. The earliest history in
forms us that the most ancient matrons of
Israel were acquainted with it, but the name
tor the good housewife who made tie frst
discovery, is not handed down in The oId.n
chronicles. If her name were known She
certain!y would deserve the first toast at .lI
public dinners, (and private ones, tooN but
since this Is unknown, we conjecture the dis.
coVery was made By accident; undouledlv
u never resulted from reasoning a Dr;ori rs
no one, naturally, would suppose that the
fermentation OF flour was anylhino but
r"ttinS process, rendering it not only useless
out positively injurious for human food in
any form.
"A certain quantity of flour is put into q
vessel and mixed with II certain quantity Of
m''k-warm Water and little yeast, then
k"caded TO proper consistency, exposed to n
neat OF about SO Fab. for few hours. when
IL rises, rs 1t Is termed, and is afterward
kneaded again with some fresh flour. then
put into an oven and baked it is taken ou,
IN the form of loaves, called "baked wheat.
EN- bread" This is about all that is known.
generally, Of the philosophy of bread. max.
ing.
Ihem'Sts differ in opinion regarding the
primary cause of fermentation: but il is
known that leaven induces this action in
dough, and that alcohol and carbonic aci,i
are formed thereby, the -four being decom.
posed and passing off in the form Of these
substances. This is the reason why some
have decned the use of Ieaven bread. be-
cause they said II was formed hy wasting
some OF the nutrlmen. of the -four" But
as none Of the nutritious part of the flour is
ariven OIL III fermentation, only carbon and
hydrogen - respiratory substances - being
dispersed. their loss is compensa,ed NV tho
improved heallhfuI quality and pleasant taste
OF such bread
RAISED bread, made of effervescing salts,
sucn rs saiaralus, is not so palatable, so
healthy, nor will it keep so long, as bread
raised by fermentation. The public has Of
ten'lmes been cajoled by persons pretending
to make bread which contained all the ALI
ment of the flour that passes off AS spirit in
fermen,ed bread. A moments reflection
Will convince any person that, weight for
weight, fermen;ed bread must contain the
greatest amount of nutriment. because fer.
mented bread contains great amount of
respiratory substances, and, as a CONSEQUENCE
less of the nutritious.
One part of the philosophy of bread. ma.
king-and it is to this feature we wish more
particularly to invite general attentions
the maintaining of the heat constantly above
the boiling point Of water. The starch OF
Hour is 'nsoluble in water at n temperature
below 2l2 deg. 1t has TO he well boiled
before 1t becomes soluble; but when moist.
eaed with water, and exposed for short
time in an oven TO a heat Of about 800 deg.
Fab, (never below 2l2 deg. at Icast, } its ma,
lure is changed-it becomes dextrine, which
Is solu lie in cold water.
The heat of every loaf Of bread placed
IN an oven must be exposed to 2I2 deg.
Fab. at least, or it will no; he properly baked,
and cannot be easily diyested- i'm.
perfectly baked bread is, therefore, not only
unpalatable, but also unhealthy.
The bakers of Paris have a worldwide
celebrity for making beautiful fermented
bread. Their skill and science are mostly
displayed in managing the temperature of
their own ovens they employ thermometers
TO indicate their heat, and watch them with
unccasing attention; their baking heat is
maintained from 2l2 deg to 400 deg. Fab.