In most households bread is the chief cereal food served, and is often called the "Staff of Life." It is most important that the bread should be well made, light and crusty, that it may be wholesome, nutritious and palatable.

When well made it is a food of which we do not tire. Soggy bread forms tough lumps which the digestive organs cannot work upon as they should, and when such bread is eaten daily it may do serious harm.

A good loaf of bread should be light, the cavities of uniform size and evenly distributed throughout the loaf. The loaf should be small, rather than large, that it may be thoroughly baked, the crust should be a golden brown, and either soft or crisp, but not tough.

Ingredients Needed For Bread Making

The necessary ingredients for bread making are flour, liquid and yeast.

Liquids Used

The liquids used may be water, rice water, potato water, whey milk or milk and water. Starchy water, such as potato or rice water, makes a more moist loaf. Milk changes the flavor of the loaf, makes it richer in food value and a more tender crumb and crust. Usually one cup of liquid is allowed for each loaf of bread the size of a brick loaf pan.

Flour

White flour is the most important in bread making, with rye flour second. When wheat is ground into a fine flour, it has the power of stretching and expanding, making it ideal for bread making. It holds the air and carbon dioxide, and hardens on baking, forming the framework of the loaf of bread.

Corn and oats lack this quality, and therefore they are combined with white flour for baking purposes. Rye flour may be used alone or with white flour in bread making.

Americans have formed the habit of eating almost exclusively bread made with white flour alone, not realizing that other breads, such as rye, rye meal, whole wheat, whole cornmeal and oatmeal, are very good to eat and richer in food value. Bread made with white flour alone does not contain the lime or other mineral salts necessary to build up bones and teeth for growing children. The coarser cereals also relieve constipation.

The present emergency demands that we use less wheat, and it is a good lesson for us to learn, as it is in the interest of health that we eat bread made with mixed cereals.

The quantify of flour used, together with the handling of the ingredients, has much to do with the quality of the bread. For a firm, fine-grained loaf of bread, 3 to 4 times as much flour as liquid is used. For a coarse grain, from 2½ to 3 times as much flour as liquid is used.

From ¼ to equal measures of other cereal flours may be added to the wheat flour. Mashed potatoes, boiled rice or left-over cereal mush may be used to good advantage in this way.

Flavors

Salt is used in bread making to give flavor, usually allowing ½ teaspoon salt to a cup of liquid, or for 1 loaf.

Sugar, syrup or molasses is added to give flavor and hasten the rising, allowing 1 or 2 tablespoons to each cup of liquid. Fat, such as butter, lard, oleomargarine, nut-margarine, suet, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, or corn oil, is added to the loaf to make the loaf richer and more tender, allowing 1 tablespoon to each cup of liquid.

Yeast

Compressed, dry or liquid yeast is used to make bread light. In any form there is a collection of yeast plants massed together in a way that they will keep for some time. The strength of yeast depends upon the care with which it is made and preserved. Liquid yeasts are apt to be full of bacteria Which will cause bread to sour. Every yeast cake contains millions of tiny yeast plants.

Air, warmth, moisture and a nitrogenous soil are necessary for their growth. All these conditions are provided when they are mixed with flour and liquid.

Heat will kill the yeast plants, while cold checks their growth, therefore in bread making the yeast mixture should never come in contact with anything hot until baking time, or be exposed to cold unless it is desirable to stop the rising for awhile. The amount of yeast used depends on the length of time desired for the process.

One yeast cake to a quart of liquid, or for 4 loaves of bread, is used if bread is started in the morning. One yeast cake to 2 quarts of liquid or 8 loaves of bread, is used if allowed to rise overnight.

Because of the high price of yeast, it may be a good plan to make liquid yeast when yeast mixtures are prepared regularly at home.

Recipe For Liquid Yeast

Four medium-sized potatoes, pared and boiled in 1 quart water. Mash the potatoes and add 2 teaspoons salt, 3 tablespoons sugar and the water in which the potatoes were boiled. Cool and add 1 dry yeast cake or 1 compressed yeast cake which has been mixed with ¼ cup lukewarm water. Pour into a stone or glass jar, cover and let stand in a warm place 3 hours or more. Each time mixture reaches top of jar, stir down; do this until it stops working. Cover and put in a cool place. Use ½ cup liquid yeast in place of 1 yeast cake. Continue to use until there is but ½ cup left, then prepare according to above recipe, using ½ cup in place of 1 yeast cake in starting the new batch.