THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



293 



ECONOMY IN BREAD. 



Its PRESiiNT Importance. 

 Sia,— If it is true that he who makes three ears of corn 

 grow wheje two grew before is a high benefactor to his couutry, 

 how much less so is he who makes three loaves (sound, whole- 

 some, and palatable) from the quantity of corn generally used 

 for two ? 



There now lies before me a series of experiments ou 590 

 quarters of wheat, ground and made into bread in succesaioDj 

 the year through, giving an average of 4161b3. of seconds flour 

 per quarter (or 7i bushels of SSlbs., or U sacks of 2801b3.), 

 and 3531bs. of bread per sack, or 5231b3. per quarter of corn — 

 say, wheat 41b3., flour S.SSlbs., bread 4. libs.) ; and another 

 set, by Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert, of Rotherham, of different 

 seasons and soils, averaging 5281bs. of bread, and 375lbs. of 

 fine flour from one quarter of wheat (or grain 41b3., flour 3 libs., 

 bread 4.21b3.). 



If the average produce of wheat of the United Kingd:im is 

 about 14,000,000 quarters, requiring a yearly import of 

 5,000,000 qrs. ; an increase of one-third on the bread-produce 

 would nearly obviate that importation. We have seen (in our 

 previous letter) bran water, or rice, easily effect that increase 

 (say from SoOlbs. to 5301bs.) ; but such bread, being more con- 

 sumable, may not fully sufiice. Maize (Indian corn) meal, 

 however, will, I think, correct this quality in the rice, and so 

 constitute a bread as satisfactory to the stomach as it is whole- 

 some, nutritious, and palatable ; while M. Miege Mouries gets 

 out all the flour from the bran in the state of fine flour (such 

 as to make white bread) — say 85 per cent, of the corn instead 

 of 75, and the bread 110 per cent. ; and, if to this we add the 

 increase by rice and maize, we may calculate on 7501bs. of 

 bread per qr. of wheat instead of 5261b?. (or 61bs. from 41b3. 

 of wheat, instead of 4. libs, as above). 



This appears to be the only prospect of getting a " cheap 

 loaf"; for although the produce of wheat increases with the 

 improvements of agriculture, the increase of mouths fully keeps 

 pace with it, keeping up the price of wheat abroad as well as at 

 home, and draiuing off the Australian gold in return, so as to 

 keep the Bank stores continually depressed. 



And even this increase of bread will be very gradual. 

 Prejudices are not quickly overcome, and its adoption by 

 family baking will do but little towards the general supply. 



Nothing less thaa its sale bj' some respectable bakers will 

 be sufficient to give it extensive use. Keeping two kinds : 

 the " wheaten loaf" as now, and the " corn loaf," or " cheap 

 loaf," as here recommended, which would be as white and 

 tough as the wheaten, but not quite the same taste. It would, 

 however, probably sooncometobe relished, as by the Americans, 

 who often prefer it. Indeed, it is said there are few tables in 

 the United States where maze does not appear in some form; 

 and the sweetness given by the rice would reconcile the maize 

 flavour, and vice versa. I am not aware that the two have yet 

 been used together with that view. 



But another objection appears more serious: the much 

 larger proportion of water in the "corn bread." l^lbs. of rice 

 or maize, or of the two mixed, will increase the bread-produce 

 of 14'ib?. of flour from 18 or 20 to 26Jlb3. (of course the 

 latter contains 5 or 61ba. more water than the former) ; and, if 

 we had nothing to consider but the actual quantity of nutritive 

 matter introduced iuto the stomach, the cheapness of the loaf 

 would be only nominal. But there are other considerations. 



Satisfying the stomach is one very important ; easy, but not 

 rapid, digestibility another; and ready and equable miscibility 

 with the articles of diet, a third: so that all may lie pleasantly 

 on the stomach, allowing it to take its time for complete di- 

 gestion, and prevent nutritive matter from being wasted in the 

 refuse. Many experiments, both on men and cattle, have 

 gone to show the loss occasioned by giving the food in a too 

 nutritious form ; so that they now generally mix chopped 

 straw with very nutritive cattle food. 



And I think it will be found that bread, constituted as 

 above, will be nouri?hing enough for general purposes ; 

 trusting, as before said, to the maize to make up for the rice 

 in nourishment, while the lice helps the maize in flavour. 



Some Practical Directions. 



The first place of these seems to belong to M. Mege 

 Mouries, who increases the quantity, while improving the 

 quality. 



He grinds the corn, and bolts (or sifts) it only once, getting 

 out per cent, about — 



Fine Flour ... 73 

 Brown meal ... ; . . 15 

 Bran 12 



100 



The brown meal may contain about 3 of small bran with 

 12 of flour. 



This flour he separates from the branny contamination by 

 fermentation and washing out, viz : 



He puts iuto about 5 gallons warm water (71" Fahr.) |lb«. 

 of yeast and 2 ozs. of potato sugar, and lets it work all night 

 (say from 6 in the evening to 6 in the morning) iu a warm 

 place (about 71°). With this fermenting liquor he wets the 

 15 of brown meal, which begins to ferment immediately. 

 After 8 hours (say 2 p.m.) the liquor is strained oflf through a 

 fine sieve (silk or silver), to carry through ihe flour and leave 

 the fine brjn; and 3 j- gallons more water are mixed with the 

 residue, and also strained off, to wash the bran quite clean of 

 fine flour; of which the ISlbs. of brown meal yields about 

 121bs. as above stated. 



The liquor that runs through with it is then used to make 



the 73 lbs. bolted flour into dough, after the addition of 12 ozs. 



of salt ; and when duly fermented, it is made up in loaves, 



and baked. 



i The resulting bread, when cold, weighs about 110 lbs, all 



white and fine. 

 ' There are more details in the French report; but requiring 

 too many explanations for the present occasion. Your readers 

 shall have them in due time, if required. 



By first boiling the coarse bran, as directed in our first 

 number, in the water for cleaning out the brown mea', he would 

 probably get 5 or 6 lbs. more bread. And, indeed, the report 

 recommends the retention of the entire bran in the bread 

 where desirable, as not colouring it much when the cerealine is 

 neutralized by fermentation. 



2.— Potato Breau. 



The increase of bread with potatoes is as well known to 



bakers as to hou-.ekeepers ; and has tceH considerably abused 



when potatoes were cheap, though not so lik«ly at present. 



i Of the many current recipes, the following may be selected. 



