Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-07-23
Blnte for
housewives

That the American housewife is her
self quite capable of doing all the -four
mixing desirable, Is the commentary
of Assistant Secretary Of Agriculture
Vrooman on the mooted mixed -four
question. He says further that the
American housewife could materially
reduce the cost of living if she were
TO get the -four mixing habit.
"There are some thirty substitutes
that can be mixed with wheat -four
in making bread. Many of these are
more nutritious than wheat -four; some
of them are cheaper than wheat -four,
and of these two or three at least are
commercially ~obtainable almost any
where.
Potatoes. corn -four and rice Din GER
tain sections) can be used with profit
in mixture with wheat -four In making
Yeast bread. With wheat four as dear
as 1t is now, the careful housewife
stands to effect quite a saving by using
one of these products to k OIL her
wheat -four. Experiments have shown
that the substitutes can be used sue
cessfully in the proportion of one part
to three parts of wheat -four. At least
three~fourths of the mixture must be
good wheat flour.
Potatoes have a certain advantage
In this regard, since potato bread cal
be made without going to the trouble
to get the commercial potato meal.
Plain mashed potatoes, four parts Of
mashed potatoes to three parts of
hood aAtr will corun tho nIIrDnSQ
quite we'll. If the dry potato meal or
fake is used the ratio should be one
part of potato to three parts Of flour.
Boiled rice can be used in much the
same way as mashed potatoes, care be-
ing taken to allow for the water In the
rice and to use about three times as
much in bulk as would be used of the
rice -four.
I'm making potato bread the sponge
should be used and just enough water
to serve to mix the yeast with the po-
into, since the sponge becomes very
soft after partial fermentation. The
remainder of the flour is worked In
afterward, care being taken to make
an extra stiff dough, which should be
raised till quite light. This bread is
much moister than bread made of
straight wheat -four.
"Corn flour, which should cost about
two-thirds the price of wheat -four,
may be mixed with wheat -four direct,
one part of corn -four to three parts of
wheat flour. Use the mixture Just as
though it were wheat flour, and mix It
yourself.
"It should be remembered that the
addition of starchy materials, such as
potatoes, rice or cornstarch (which Is
sometimes used to adulterate wheat
-four In baking), tends to make a loaf
less rich in protein and hence less nu.
tritious than the straight wheat -four.
The addition of corn -four makes little
If any change In the nutritive value
Of the bread, but makes it cheaper.
''There are other -four substitutes,
such as soybean meal and pea flour,
which serve to add greatly to the nu-
tritive value of the loaf when mixed
with wheat flour. These products un-
fortunately cannot be recommended In
the present emergency, since they arc
not as yet common articles of com
merce in this country.
"In this connection 1t should be said
that a great saving could be effected If
the housewife would emulate the pro-
fessional baker and buy low grade
wheat fours. There are f1ours on the
market quito as good for home baking
as the fancy patent fours, which cost
In bulk from % to 40 per cent less
than the fancy grades. Such are the
so called second clear and low grade
fours, which are graded lower than
patents merely because they are dark
er, not because they are any less nutri-
t1ous or less palatable. In fact; the
darker color may be evidence that the
flour is more nutritious than white
flour.
Boston brown bread may be men
toned as a good and very popular me
dunn for the profitable use of Jour
substitutes. 1t Is made of equal parts
OF corn meal, rye meal and graham
Hour and is a very nutritious bread.
There are various ways of making
over bread itself SO as to effect a con-
siderable saving. Thus stale bread,
crusts, crumbs, etc., can be worked
into palatable products such as bread
pancakes, breadcrumb biscuit and
breadcrumb cookies.
The nub of the mixed four question
hangs on who does the mixing. If the
housewife does the mixing she gets the
saving entailed. If the baker or the
wholesaler does it he is very apt to
get the saving as additional profit"