The San Francisco call., 1899-10-29

so pleasing or satisfactory as is the prod
uct of the professional breadn,aker. but
we feel that there are no awful mysteries
about its mixing and makeup and that
everything which went into it and that
1t went into in its process of transmogri-
ncation from raw material to manufac-
tuured product was clean and excellent of
its kind
1t is a lamentable fact, though. that a
large proportion of the homemade"
bread of civilization Is utterly unfit for
human consumption. Otherwise charming
and estimable women will place upon
their tables sour, heavy, gray, hard
crusted and generally abominable mix
lures Of flour and various other ingredi-
ents, and expect the assembled family
and guests to eat and be thankful, be-
cause, forsooth, the concoction was
evolved in their "own kitchens"
There is no excuse for any housekeeper
IN the matter of bread, for it is the sim
plest Of all things to evolve in a whole
some, appetizing and pleasing shape.
Good materials and a little patient and
intelligent care are all that are needed
to make this branch of domestic science
an unqualified success.
The uncertain rule of guess" must
never be applied TO any of the articles
made from grains Of any description. Ex-
time must characterize the whole process
of bread, biscuit or hot-cake making and
II this exactness be rigidly adhered to the
youngest girl eXperimentalizer may be
sure or making even from her very first
efforts an unqualified success.
The art Of making bread comes to us
from antiquity.
Its first mention is in Genesis. xviii :5.
when Abraham, wishing TO entertain the
three angels on the plains of Mamre, of
Lered to fetch morsel Of bread" and
sarah was instructed to make ready
quickly three measures of fine meal,
hearth"
At later period great perfection in the
art was attained in Egypt, a country
which then took the lead in all the arts
Of civilization.
Its march was next into Greece and fire.
quent illusions to this subject are made
rleties Of bread were known TO the an
Client Greeks, formulas and minute de-
scEiptons Of many of them being given.
Plny history tells US that bakers were
introduced into Rome during the reign of
Perseus, King of Macedon. Public bak-
cries were distributed throughout the city
and slaves were compelled to perform the
heavier and more disagreeable parts of
the labor. These institutions were regu-
lated by the Government, and a special
public magistrate was appointed to attend
to all matters pertaining thereto
In England and throughout the United
Kingdom, during the middle ages, the
OF the Ddk6r was considered q very
important one. 1t became necessary In
England in 1895 to enact in Parliament a
law regulating the price of bread which
system continued in the city of London
1886. - '"0 country I'LL
In 1872 bread was made In Sweden. but
IN snpall cakes mostly, loaves being used
only by the higher classes of inhabitants.
Among many of the rural people of Swe-
den and Norway no bread is used TO this
day, except rye cakes, baked nearly as
lT~H ac fFTT do ~
Loaves of bread were hardly known
among the farming people of Scotland
one hundred years ago. Barley bannocks
and oaten cakes were used among all
classes.
In Palestine, as well as In other parts OF
Asia Minor, bread is baked daily in out
door stone ovens, each family having it's
own mill, in which they grind the grain
that is to be used This custom has con
tinued without change for more than
eighteen centuries.
A kind of bread known as the "Austra.
Ian damper" is used in many European
countries, the dough Of which, composed
Of -four, salt and water, is baked over the
dying embers Of wood fire, lying. on g
fiat stone. Passover cakes used by the
Jews in their religious feasts are prepared
from a similar dough-
France has done much to perfect the
art Of bread making by the invention OF
valuable machinery, and it is conceded
by good judges that the best bread made
Paris.
The bread used principally In this coun
try is the vesiculated, or such bread as 1:
rendered spongy In structure by the &C
kinds of crackers and sea biscuit are
however, manufactured and, sold IN sea-
port towns.
Vesioulated bread includes such kinds
as the ordinary pan loaves, French anc
Vienna bread. bricks, rolls buns, mullins
tea biscuit, etc. Much Of our loaf bread i:
made by the development of carbontc acic
In the dough through -four fermentation
The following recipes are tested end re-