The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-03-18
Ripe Bread.

Bread made of wheat flour, when
taken out of the oven, is unprepared
for the stomach. 1t should go through
a change, or ripen, before it is eaten.
Young persons, or persons in the en-
joyment of vigorous health, may eat
bread Immediately after its being baked,
without any sensible injury from il;
but weakly and aged persons cannot,
and no one can eat such without doing
harm to the digestive organs. Bread,
after being baked, goes through a
change similar to the change in newly
brewed beer, or newly-churned butter
milk, neither being healthy until after
the change. During the change in
bread it sends off large portion of
carbon, or unhealthy gas, and imbibes
a large portion of oxygen, or healthy
gas. Bread has, according to the COM
putation of physicians, one-fifth more
nutriment in it when ripe than it has
when Just out of the oven. 1t not only
has more nutriment, but imparts a
much greater degree of cheerfulness.
He that eats old, ripe bread, will have
much greater flow Of animal spirits
than he would were he to eat unripe
bread. Bread, as before observed, dis
charges carbon and imbibes oxygen
One thing in connection with this
thought should be particularly noticed
by all housewives. 1t is to let the
bread ripen where it can inhale the
oxygen in pure state. Bread will al
WAYS taste of the air that surrounds it
while ripening, hence it should ripen
where the air is pure. 1t should never
ripen in a cellar, nor in close cup
board, nor in bedroom. The noXious
vapors of cellar or a cupboard never
should enter into and form part of
the bread we eat. Bread should be
light, well baked and properly ripened
before it is eaten. Bread that is sew
eral days old may be renewed, so as to
have all the freshness and lightness of
new bread, by simply putting it into a
common steamer, placing it over the
fire and steaming it half or three-quar-
tiers of an hour. After the bread is
thus steamed, it should be taken out of
the steamer and wrapped loosely in a
cloth, to dry and cool, and remain so a
short time, when it will be ready to be
cut and used. 1t will then be like cold
new bread. MIDGET, Montpelier, VT.
REMARKS BY THE EDITOR.-The prac-
| teal parts of the above communication
are generally sound, and worthy of the
attention of our readers. 1t is not sur
prising, when we consider how little at.
tention is yet given to the teaching OF
the natural sciences, that there should
be some mistakes in that part of the ar.
ticle, and we feel sure that "Midget .
will thank us for correcting them, as il
is important that full and correct
knowledge in regard to the " staff of
life " should prevail.
The gas generated in bread fermenta-
ton is known as carbOnic acid, being
composed of one atom of carbon to two
atoms of oxygen, expressed by the
symbol Coz. Carbon is an essential
element in all our food, and constitutes
the chief constituent aside from wa
teri of sugar, and starch, and of fat, OIL
the warming and fattening elements OF
food. In pure form, when crystal
lized, carbon appears as the brilliant
diamond; in less pure, uncrystallizet
form, as coal. The gas in bread, car
bonic acid, is in no sense injurious, bu
rather beneficial to health. 1t is thi:
gas which is so agreeable to the taste il
soda water" which contains no soda
but is simply common water strongly
charged under pressure with carbonio
acid. When the pressure is removed
the gas escapes in bubbles. 1t is {
slight sedative when taken into the
stomach, and tends to relieve irritation
AS nearly the whole nutritive part Of
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