Foods That Will Win The War And How To Cook Them | Page 3

time increases the shortage of this most necessary food.
Fuel, too, is a serious national problem, and all coal used in either range,
gas, or electric oven for the baking of poor bread is an actual national
loss. There must be no waste in poor baking or from poor care after the
bread is made, or from the waste of a crust or crumb.
Waste in your kitchen means starvation in some other kitchen across
the sea. Our Allies are asking for 450,000,000 bushels of wheat, and we
are told that even then theirs will be a privation loaf. Crop shortage and

unusual demand has left Canada and the United States, which are the
largest sources of wheat, with but 300,000,000 bushels available for
export. The deficit must be met by reducing consumption on this side
the Atlantic. This can be done by eliminating waste and by making use
of cereals and flours other than wheat in bread-making.
The wide use of wheat flour for bread-making has been due to custom.
In Europe rye and oats form the staple breads of many countries, and in
some sections of the South corn-bread is the staff of life. We have only
to modify a little our bread-eating habits in order to meet the present
need. Other cereals can well be used to eke out the wheat, but they
require slightly different handling.
In making yeast breads, the essential ingredient is gluten, which is
extended by carbon dioxide gas formed by yeast growth. With the
exception of rye, grains other than wheat do not contain sufficient
gluten for yeast bread, and it is necessary to use a wheat in varying
proportions in order to supply the deficient gluten. Even the baker's rye
loaf is usually made of one-half rye and one-half wheat. This is the
safest proportion for home use in order to secure a good texture.
When oatmeal is used, it is necessary to scald the oatmeal to prevent a
raw taste. Oatmeal also makes a softer dough than wheat, and it is best
to make the loaf smaller and bake it longer: about one hour instead of
the forty-five minutes which we allow for wheat bread.
The addition of one-third barley flour to wheat flour makes a light
colored, good flavored bread. If a larger proportion than this is used,
the loaf has a decided barley flavor. If you like this flavor and increase
the proportion of barley, be sure to allow the dough a little longer time
to rise, as by increasing the barley you weaken the gluten content of
your loaf.
Rice and cornmeal can be added to wheat breads in a 10 per cent.
proportion. Laboratory tests have shown that any greater proportion
than this produces a heavy, small loaf.
Potato flour or mashed potato can be used to extend the wheat, it being

possible to work in almost 50 per cent. of potato, but this makes a
darker and moister loaf than when wheat alone is used. In order to take
care of this moisture, it is best to reserve part of the wheat for the
second kneading.
Graham and entire wheat flour also effect a saving of wheat because a
larger percentage of the wheat berry is used. Graham flour is the whole
kernel of wheat, ground. Entire wheat flour is the flour resulting from
the grinding of all but the outer layer of wheat. A larger use of these
coarser flours will therefore help materially in eking out our scant
wheat supply as the percentage of the wheat berry used for bread flour
is but 72 per cent. Breads made from these coarser flours also aid
digestion and are a valuable addition to the dietary.
In order to keep down waste by eliminating the poor batch of bread, it
is necessary to understand the principles of bread-making.
Fermentation is the basic principle of yeast bread, and fermentation is
controlled by temperature. The yeast plant grows at a temperature from
70 to 90 degrees (Fahrenheit), and if care is taken to maintain this
temperature during the process of fermentation, waste caused by sour
dough or over-fermentation will be eliminated. When we control the
temperature we can also reduce the time necessary for making a loaf of
bread, or several loaves of bread as may be needed, into as short a
period as three hours. This is what is known as the quick method. It not
only saves time and labor, but, controlling the temperature, insures
accurate results. The easiest way to control the temperature is to put the
bowl containing the dough into another of slightly larger size
containing water at a temperature of 90 degrees. The water of course
should never be hot. Hot water kills the yeast plant. Cold water checks
its growth. Cover the bowl