286 THE BOOK OF WHEAT 



the condition and quality of the flour. In St. Louis the stand- 

 ard grades are, in descending order of quality and whiteness, 

 Patent, Extra Fancy, Fancy, Choice and Family. Besides 

 improving in color, flour also yields a larger loaf as it 

 grows older. When properly stored, the only loss is in the 

 power of. absorbing water. Flour readily absorbs undesirable 

 odors, such as those of pine wood, kerosene, and smoked meats. 



Human Foods Made from Wheat. Not only does wheat have 

 great superiority in sustaining life, but a large variety of 

 healthful, palatable and attractive foods are made from it, 

 -either wholly or in part. Breads, pastries, crackers, break- 

 fast foods and macaroni, of almost endless variety in composi- 

 tion, form and appearance are now found on table and market. 

 Many of these have a comparatively recent origin, while others 

 of a more remote origin have come into general use only in 

 recent times. Wheat foods alone do not furnish proper nutri- 

 tion for the body, for an amount sufficient to supply the 

 requisite protein would furnish more than the requisite car- 

 bohydrates. 



Bread is the oldest and most important product made from 

 wheat. It supports life better than any other single food ex- 

 cept milk, and it is the most staple food of modern civilization 

 The baking of bread is older than history. The prehistoric 

 Swiss Lake Dwellers baked bread as early as the Stone Age. 

 From the burnt specimens that have been disinterred, it was 

 found that they did not use meal, but that the grains were 

 more or less crushed. The ancient Egyptians carried the art 

 of baking to a high perfection. Lippert maintains that the 

 baking of leavened bread was practiced longest by the Egyptian 

 and Semitic peoples. The Jews, however, still hold one feast 

 in memory of the old form of unleavened bread. The bread 

 of the Homeric Greeks is supposed to have been a kind of un- 

 leavened cake baked in ashes. The ancient Greeks had at 

 least 62 varieties of bread. An oven containing 81 loaves of 

 bread similar to the bread of modern times was found in 

 Pompeii. 



"Strong" and "Weak" Bread Flour. The higher the 

 gluten content of flour, the more water it will absorb in the 

 dough; consequently it will yield more bread, and is known as 

 "stronger" flour. Baker's bread is sold according to its 



