The evening times., 1898-05-17
Economy In Brendmaking.

New York writer's on household
economy are raising lively chorus of
advice on breadmaking. The immedi-
ate occasion of this is the fact that
flour has risen 10 IS barrel. and bread
is likely to go up a cent or two per
loaf Therefore. it is declared that
every rational housekeepcr should
make her own bread. and thus get her
loaf at the same price originally paid,
or less. 1t is estimated that the flour
to make a pound of bread costs three
and one-half cents, whereas the bread,
made by the baker, costs five, Why,
inquiries Sir Oracle, should any woman
pay the baker a cent and a half to
make loaf of bread for her, when she
can make ii herself and save that cent
and half?
OF course, there is some sense in this,
for nobody claims that the baker is IN
business for his health, and he proba-
bly, does make something out of his loaf
of bread. But it should be remembered
that something besides -four is needed
for a loaf of bread. Yeast costs 9
cents per cake. and that amounts to
something; so does the fire required to
bake the bread, and some people put
milk into their bread. while some use
water. OF course, according to these
authorities on breadmaking, a woman's
time is not worth anything at all; but
it does take a little time to make a
loaf of bread-time which could be
spent in mending or making clothes, or
making soup, OF rejuvenating furniture
in some one of those nameless ways
known to good housewives, or even in
reading or recreation-things of which
the old-fashioned housewife never
stood in need. 1t is quite possible that
the housewife may be able to save that
cent and a half per day in some other
way more easily than in making bread,
especially if she cannot make very good
bread. Breadmaking does take a GER
tain amount of skill and experience,
and ii is 4 question whether. in this
age of the world. when labor is divided
and subdivided and specialized, it is
any better worth while for a city wo-
man to make her own bread than for
her to knit her husbands socks. But
there is another idea, born of this in
creased price of flour, which is better
worth attention. 1t is that corn meal
be temporarily substituted for flour.
Hoe-ceke, or Johnny cake. as it is
known in the South and North. re-
spectively, is one of the most tooth |
erly made. and also one of the cheapest, |
and it is considerably less costly in |
time and trouble than wheaton bread. |
1t has been discarded, like brown |
bread. chiefly for the reason that |
bread was held sign of |
circumstances. AS soon as
he poor man could afford it, he stop
BED eating brown bread and corn bread
and took to the wheat variety, and
ruined his teeth and his digestion. 1t
IS stated on good authority that the
dentists profession in the United
States was built up on saleratus bis
,uit, and it might be added that the
ioctor's income is larger than it would
De if the majority of our population
rust. When wheat flour is three and
half cents a pound and cornmeal is
ess than two, it is quite evident which
s the cheaper, and when it is remem-
,ered that corn cake requires no
raising" over night. no kneading and
and only a few minutes of
,aking, it will be seen that the actual
ost of the articles is lessened also in
his way. Let the yellow native prod
let, the Indian corn, have a chance.
Buy the underground meal Of the
'outh, and let the white bread go!