Richland beacon., 1877-07-21
FARM AND PRESIDE.
Cooking Graham Bread.


with those who use it, that they are com.
monty intelligent people, quite above
the average indeed; that they have good
reasons for their belief in its value and
wholesomeness, while they leave to those
who have never tried it all the horrors
of its sc-a:chiness, and the fears OF being
dissected alive by its blades of bran.
1t is gratifying to observe in the inter-
ests of public health, that its use is in
creasing very rapidly. A dozen years
ago, one had to inquire where it could
be found now it is kept in almost every
grocery and -four store. Formerly it
was often compounded of bran, corn
meal, rye, shorts, and various other arti-
cles; now it must be ground directly
from the whole wheat, and very clean
and superior article at that. We believe
the grain is generally much more thor
Oughly cleaned than that used for fine
-four, because none of the tell-tale debris
can be removed after grinding, therefore
it must be removed before grinding.
We are now taking another step, in
learning that it is generally improved by
special mode of grinding. 1t requires
sharp stones, which cut the bran into
fine pieces. The'coarse, or "high ground"
Graham, makes hard and rough bread
biscuit. That which is rubbed fine by
dull stones, while it makes the starchy
part very fine and floury, leaves the rich
crust of the kernel in coarse, unsightly
fakes, and the -four is 50 much less rich
and sweet. Some people make the mis-
take of sitting this bran out. 1t is much
better to get that which is properly
ground. If the stones are very sharp, as
they should be, they cut the bran fine,
AMI mingle thoroughly the starch and the
gluten, giving you the entire richness
and nutrition of the grain. 1t requires
little practice to distinguish such -four
readily by the eye; but when once its
value is appreciated, it will not soon be
forgotten.
We are also beginning to appreciate
the Importance of the fact that meal and
-four ground in this fashion can be made
up without the addition of any foreign
ingredients, made light and attractive
without having the pure sweetness of the
grain soured by yeast or burned by al
kali, or filled up by the residuum of any
kind of baking powders. This is en-
phatically mixed bread with brans,
making things light by the art with
which they are put together.
Some people, not understanding this
high art, think it necessary to use milk
or soda or eggs in making Graham bis
cult; but all these devices are only so
many subterfuges for the lack of intelli.
gence or ingenuity, or an unintelligent
effort to supply some defect in poor -four.
If the following recipe be carefully fol-
lowed, it will make very passable biscuit
from almost any kind of Graham -four,
to be eaten warm; but if you have the
right kind of flower, you will have light,
tender, delicate, sweet, and perfectly
wholesome biscuit. good cold as we'll as
warm, though better if made fresh every
day or two. They are vastly less trouble
to make than any of the ordinary kinds
of bread or biscuit made of fine -four.
BATTER BIscUIT.-A hot oven is
indispensable. Place cold soft water
in stirring bowl, the colder. the
better. Stir with a spoon in one hand
and sift in the -four with the other.
Make just thick enough not to settle
fiat. Different kinds Of -four require
different proportions. but good way is
to make some of different thicknesses
from the same batch, and so find out
which is best. Bake either in tin or
iron, very slightly oiled to prevent stick
ing. If in iron gem pans they should be
heated first and the batter dropped in
when they are kissing hot. Put them
in the oven at once. Bake them on the
top first, unless your oven is one of that
rare sort that bakes evenly on all sides.
They should begin to brown on the top
in about fifteen minutes; then they may
be set down to bake on the bottom.
Twenty-Five or thirty minutes should
bake them sufficiently. If they stand in
the oven much longer than that, they
will be hard and tough. Slip out imme.
diately from the pans, place on a plate,
let them stand five minutes, and serve.
II they are still little sticky, let them
stand until they are cool enough to be