Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-10-03
Bread.

The original Specification of this word
was anything that may be eaten, or, in
general, food; but as now used it sieni-
fies preparation of some of the cereal
grains. Since the day that abraham
fastened into the tent unto Sarah, and
said: Make ready three measures of fine
meal, knead it, and make cakes upon
the hearth" bread has been among all
civilized nations staple article of food.
The various processes used by the an
eient Egyptians in making bread are
distinctly represented to-day in the
paintings on their tombs. The primi-
tive mode of making bread was TO stir
the cereal, ground fine, with water un-
til thin dough was formed. This was
made into cakes, laid on hot Goals and
covered with ashes and cooked, then
eaten warm. The Arabs of the desert
still employ this method. Later, ovens
were invented. These were round ves-
sels of brass or earthenware. which were
heated by a fire kindled around them
When hot the dough was spread upon
their sides in thin flakes. During the
war with Perseus, King of Macedon,
about 200 years before the Christian era.
the Romans learned the art of ferment-
ing bread, and on their return from
Macedonia brought bakers with them
These bakers and their successors held
very high place in the public estimation;
they had the care of the public granaries
and enjoyed many privileges. From
Rome the art of fbread-making with fer
mentation found its way into France;
but not until near the close OF the seven
tenth century was yeast iu general use
in the north of Europe for bread-mak-
ing, In l6ss the college OF physicians in
Paris, France, declared bread made
with yeast TO be injurious to health,
whereupOn the government prohibited
bakers from using it under a severe
penalty, but the superiority of yeast
bread became 50 apparent that the pro-
hibitOry laws were enforced, and soon
became dead letter. Before yeast
was used in raising bread, lcayen was
employed for this purpose. This was
made by mixing flour and water into
dough, and keeping it in a temperature
of from 40 deg. to so deg. until it fer |
mented, which would be in three or
four days. This leaven was then mixed |
with quantity of fresh dough, and |
when the whole mass was fermented il |
was ready for the oven, and all baked, |
save pound or more. which was re-
served for the next batch of bread. If 1
buried in sack of flour the leaven 4
would keep many days without spelling.
As wheaton flour contains more gluten /
than the flour of any other of the cereals, !
il is very difficult to make wheaton
bread spongy and porous without the
use of some kind of fermentation. In
the South hammered biscuit are in re-
quest on account of their freedom from
yeast and yeast powders. They are
made Of flour, water or milk, and salt,
hammered with the rolling-pin for an
hour or So, made, into tiny shapes and
baked in quick oven. The hammer
ing Introduces air between the partic-
les OF dough, and thus makes it light.
Oatmeal, cOrnmeal and barleymeal con-
tain much less gluten than wheat flour,
and can therefore be readily made into
light, thin cakes without any ferment-
ing agent. Barley and oatmeal were
for long time the dependence of our
saxon ancestors for bread. Ii was pro-
bably barley bannocks the great King
Alfred was set to watch when he took
refuge in the swine-herd's cottage.
With the facilities within reach of al
most every housekeeper. there is no
good reason why every household
should not have perpetual peacemaker
II the family in the shape of well-com-
pounded, nutritious and palpable bread