SELF-RAISING FLOURS are simply flours into which acid and soda preparations have been ;nixed in such proportions that the addition of water, by liberating the carbon dioxide. produces a spongy dough. Lightness is produced in bread or eake by the simple addition of well-beaten eggs, because the air is caught by the sticky albu men of the eggs and remains imprisoned in the dough. Air at 70° F. expands to three times its bulk when the temperature is raised to 500° F., and the whole mass of dough is expanded with it. If the heat of the oven is too intense when dough thus prepared is placed in it, the bubbles of air will swell so rapidly that they will burst, and the dough will fall.
Besides the ordinary white wheat bread, there are innumerable fancy white breads, breads made from flours other than wheat, and unleavened breads. on the market. So few analyses of them have been made. however, that they can hardly be more than enumerated here. :Most like the ordi nary bread are the fancy leaven white breads, such as Vienna and French rolls, inilk breads, etc. These usually differ chiefly in the use of milk, sugar, butter, lard. etc.. in the dough. En tire wheat. graham, rye, barley, or oatmeal flours are made into bread in essentially the same way as ordinary wheat flour, and vary in texture and nutritive value according to their original com position.
The original graham bread, made without yeast from graham flour according to the receipt of its inventor, and not to be confounded with raised graham bread, is made by kneading the flour and water thoroughly, and allowing the dough to stand several hours before baking. it is heavier than ordinary yeast bread, but still is somewhat porous, owing probably to fermentation started by bacteria accidentally present in the flour and acquired from the air; it is sweet and by no means unpalatable, but probably the nutritive value of its protein is lower than Dr. Graham supposed.
Gluten bread, if properly made, eontains the gluten of the flour, from which more or less of the starch has been removed. To make it, strong tlour and water arc made into dough, which is pressed and strained under a stream of water until the starch has been worked out; it is then kneaded again and baked. It makes a light, elas tic loaf, frequently prescribed for diabetic pa tients, from whose diet it is considered desirable to exclude starch.
The aerated bread so popular in London is made by a method invented by the English physi cian Daughish in 135G. According to this method, the water used for wetting the dough is directly charged with the requisite amount of carbon dioxide gas and then mixed with the flour in a specially constructed machine. The flour is in closed in a tight box, moistened with the charged water, thoroughly kneaded by machinery, mold ed into loaves and put directly into the oven. The advantages claimed for this form of bread are: (I) There is no loss of flour through fer mentation; (2) the process is much more rapid: (3) the cost of machinery and gas is less than that of yeast: (4) the process is more sanitary, the bread requiring no handling; (5) the bread is absolutely pure, containing only water, flour, and salt. Sometimes a little fermented barley
infusion, or wort, as it is called, from a brewery, is put into the water. This aids it in absorbing the gas, renders the gluten more elastic, and improves the flavo•.of the bread.
The so-called salt-rising bread is interesting as an illustration of self-raised bread. In it the ferments originally present or acquired from the air produce the fermentation which leavens it. To make it, warm milk and cornmeal are mixed together into a stiff batter, which is left at blood heat until the whole mass is sour; that is, until the ferments present have produced fermentation throughout. Next a thick sponge is made of wheat flour and hot water, in which a little salt has been dissolved. This sponge and the sour batter are thoroughly kneaded together and set in a warm place for several hours. The leaven ing action started in the batter spreads through the dough and produces a light, porous loaf, which ninny persons consider very palatable. Such bread is quite free from acidity, its the presence of the salt prevents undesirable fermen tat hm.
Various forms of 'raised biscuits,' hot bread,' etc., are made in the household by adding short ening, milk, eggs, etc., to the dough, or by modi fying in some way the process followed. Using soda and cream of tartar, or baking-powder, in making biscuits, shortcakes, etc., the process is intrinsically the same as in making ordinary white bread, except that the baking-powder or its substitute does the work of the yeast. Such breads do not require to be kneaded or set to rise, and bake very quickly, hence are very con venient when yeast is not obtainable or time is limited. They never become so light and porous as yeast-made bread, however, and dry very quickly.
An interesting variety of bread made without, leavening is known as Maryland or beaten bis cuit. A rather still' dough is made from flour and water, or milk, with shortening and salt added. It is kneaded and then beaten or pound ed, being frequently turned over and over until it looks light and puffy. The biscuits are then formed and baked. The folding and pounding of the dough incloses small quantities of air in numberless little blisters. These expand in bak ing and make the biscuit light and porous. The different kinds of bread from other grains than wheat, as 'corn bread,' 'brown bread,' grains bread.' 'gems,' etc., which are made in many households, vary somewhat in diffe•imt regions, but they all follow the same principles which govern the bread-making from wheat flour; that is, the flour or meal is mixed to a dough with water or milk, and some leavening substance is generally added to make the dough porous. Eggs, sugar, shortening, etc.. may be added, giving rise to the numerous varieties with which we are all fa miliar.