West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-05-20
COST OF LIVING COULD Be
REDUCED BY MIXING FlOURS
Assistant Secretary of Agriculture
Tells the American Housewife
How to Materially Lessen Her
Food F'lls-Many Substitat.s
More Nutritious Than Wheat

Ihat the American housewife IN her
self quite capable OF doing all the
Hour mixing desirable Is the opinion
of Assistant Secretary OF Agriculture
Nrooman on the mootod mixed -four
question. He further states that the
American housewife could materially
reduce the cost OF living IL she would
acquire the flour mixing habit.
There are some thirty substitutes
that can be mixed with wheat flour I'm
making bread" he said in n statement
issued i'm Washington. MANY of these
are more nutritious than wheat -four:
somo OF them are cheaper than wheat
flour. and OF these, two or three. at
least. arc commercially obtainablc al
most anywhere.
Potatoes. corn flour. and rice un
certain sections) can be used with
profit in mixture with wheat -four In
making yeast bread with wheat
flour as dear as IL is now, the careful
housewife stands TO effect quite a saw
ing by using one of these products TO
oke out her wheat -four. Experiments
have shown that the substitutes can be
used successfully 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 can
be made without going to the trouble
OF getting the commercial potato meal.
Plain mashed potatoes, four parts of
mashed potatoes to three parts of
wheat flour. will serve the purpose
quite well. If the dry potato meal or
lake is used, the ratio should be one
part of potato to three parts of -four.
Boiled rice can be used in much the
same way as mashed potatoes, care be-
ing taken To allow the water i'm 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 DO
tato, since the sponge becomes very
soft after partial fermentation. The
remainder of the -four is worked I'm
arterward, care being taken to make
an extra stin dough, which should be
raised till quite light. This bread is
more moist than bread made solely OF
wheat flour.
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 -four. Use the mixture lust
as though 1t were wheat flour. and
mix IL yourself.
1t should be remembered that the
of starchy materials. such as
potatoes, rice or cornstarch (Which is
used to aduIterate wheat
flour i'm baking) tends to make q loaf
less rich In protein, and hence less nu-
tritious than the straight wheat -four.
The addition OF corn flour makes lit
tie, IL any, change In the nutritive val
ue OF the bread, but makes IL cheaper.
There are other -four substitutes,
such as soybean meal and pea -four,
which add greatly to the nutritive val
tie OF the loaf when mixed with wheat
flour. These products, unfortunately,
cannot be recommended in the present
emergency, since they are not as yet
common articles OF commerce in this
country"