The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-11
SCIENTIFIC BREAD MAKING
Suggestions From the Agricultural
Departments Chief Chemist.
A Bakery for Every Community to
Be Governed According to Certain
Health Principles Is the Idea Adj
vanced by DIR. Ii. w. Wiley.

DIR. H. w Wiley, Chief of the Division
of Chemistry of the Agricultural De-
partment, would relegate bread ma king
at home to the past. He suggests the
establishment of a bakery in every
community, under competent control
! Offering at the lowest prices bread
scientifically prepared according to GER
tain health forinulae.''
| Discussing this interesting subject, he
says:
The great evils of our time and
! and trusts, but the frying pan, bicar-
Donate of soda, and pie.
! Nutrition" continued DR.. Wiley, lis
| the first and fundamental need of the
race, and bread Is the basis of all
strength and growth the world over. In
! our country of plenty should be found.
| first and foremost, a knowledge of
/ bread and bread making; but our at
| tention as a ration has not been given
| to a scientific and practical study of
! cooking. Even in our best hotels and
| fashionable restaurants we are not all
ways certain of having good bread, and
in other places, not excepting private
houses, we are quite likely not to
have it.
Bread, the staff of life,' may be
made from any cereal -four, but of all
the cereals wheat is particularly the
bread maker don't think l would go
as far as Prof. Crookes and insinuate
that only wheat eaters are world rulers;
but no one who has considered the sub
ject can deny the supereminence in
bread making to wheat flour. Aside
from being good and bad, wheaton
bread may be divided into two classes,
leavened and unleavened. The unleav-
ened loaf, or cake, is used chiefly in re-
ligious ceremonials, and in the form
of biscuits. commonly but very incor-
rectly known as crackers
Where bread is to be left for some
time, or is to be transported to great
distances, the latter form is desirable,
especially when the biscuits are made
without the addition of those common
mineral substances for which Ameri-
cans seem to have veritable passion.
While it is true that people who eat
other cereals apparently have good
health and are strong, it is also true
that the wheat-eating nations, as a
rule, take the lead in progress and ac-
complishment / would not &c so far
as to say that wheat is necessary to in
dividual and national development and
progress, but it is doubtless true that,
by its use, in so far as food is con-
cerned, the best interests of evolution
and development are conserved. There
is very little evidence, if any, to show
that the gluten, the heterogeneous element
of wheat, is any more nutritious than
Zein, the heterogeneous element of corn,
or than hordein, the heterogeneous ele-
ment of barley, or than gladin, the nj
trogenous element of rye. But since by
its peculiar properties it makes bread
more porous. more palatable, and more
attractive, it appeals in a stronger way
to the finer digestive feelings. The nu-
tritive value of wheat flour, however,
depends largely upon the character of
the milling, and the palatability of the
loaf upon the character of the baking.
1.-The production OF wheat for bread
making, as is well known. is one of the
most important agricultural industries
of our country. In 1866 the area plant
ed to wheat in the United States was
Is, 424 ,49e acres. In 1899 the area planted
to wheat was A ,592, sic acres, over half
as much as the area planted to Indian
corn, and it has had proportionate
growth last year: unfortunately, the
ID
this years crop The yield of wheat in |
bushels in 1866 was ISL 1893, s06. In 1899 |
it was SAT, 300, $40. The number of BUSH |
els exported during the latter year was |
800, 694 800; the quantity used for seed
ing, 55,740,6 45 bushels, or at the rate of
a bushel and a peck per acre; so that |
the quantity of wheat consumed in
breadstuffs in this country during that
year was 26S, SOS .2S1 bushels.
1T is true that not all of the wheat
specified was used for bread-making,
but so nearly all that practically the
whole quantity named may be consid-
cred as entering into bread. This num-
Der of bushels represents 16 132, O96. $50
In proper panification the
Identical with that of the wheat en-
oloyed. since the waste, which occurs in
such as the bran, middlings,
shorts, etc, is almost identical in
weight with the quantity of added
water which the finished loaf contains.
We may safely say that one hundred
pounds of wheat make one hundred
pounds of bread. Therefore the total
Iuantity of wheaton bread used during
he year in the United States was 49,
80, 096, $50 pounds The actual cost of |
his bread, placed upon the table. not
o speak of the profits of the bakers, is
ibout cents per pound, making the
otal value of the bread consumed in :
he period of twelve months in the
United States S4s3, 1862, 9O5.S0.
In view of the enormous economic |
Importance of the bread industry, it is |
lot unreasonable to desire to see the ]
uality of our bread improved 1t is
lot at all an exaggeration to say that {
carcely % per cent of the enormous I
of bread consumed as shown !
n the statistics have quoted, is prop
rly prepared or properly baked. The
properties of the other rs per
ent are diminished, its palatability de- 1
reased, and its value lessened by i'm
roper methods of anification-not to
peak of the dyspepsia and the other v
igestive disorders attending the use {
e 4. 4 n