THE CHEMISTRY OF COOKERY, 519 



to each sack of flour weighing two hundred and eighty pounds, so that 

 the proportion of alum is but two ounces to two hundred and eighty 

 pounds. As one sack of flour is (with water) made into eighty loaves 

 weighing four pounds each, the quantity of alum in one pound of 

 bread amounts to y^h ^^ ^^ ounce. 



The rationale of the action of this small quantity of alum is still 

 a chemical puzzle. That it has an appreciable effect in improving the 

 appearance of the bread is unquestionable, and it may actually improve 

 the quality of bread made from inferior flour. 



One of the baker's technical tests of quality is the mannei in which 

 the loaves of a batch separate from each other. That they should 

 break evenly and present a somewhat silky rather than a lumpy fract- 

 ure, is a matter of trade estimation. When the fracture is rough and 

 lumpy, one loaf pulling away some of the just belongings of its neigh- 

 bor, the feelings of the orthodox baker are much wounded. The 

 alum is said to prevent this impropriety, while an excess of salt ag- 

 gravates it. 



It appears to be a fact that this small quantity of alum whitens the 

 bread. In this, as in so many other cases of adulteration, there are 

 two guilty parties — the buyer who demands impossible or unnatural 

 appearances, and the manufacturer or vender who supplies the foolish 

 demand. The judging of bread by its whiteness is a mistake which 

 has led to much mischief, against which the recent agitation for " whole 

 meal " is, I think, an extreme reaction. 



If the husk, which is demanded by the whole-meal agitators, were 

 as digestible as the inner flqur, they would unquestionably be right, 

 but it is easy to show that it is not, and that in some cases the passage 

 of the undigested particles may produce mischievous irritation in the 

 intestinal canal. My own opinion on this subject (it still remains in 

 the region of opinion rather than of science) is that a middle course 

 is the right one, viz., that bread should be made of moderately dressed 

 or " seconds " flour rather than overdressed " firsts," or undressed 

 *' thirds," i. e., unsifted whole-meal flour. 



Such seconds flour does not fairly produce white bread, and con- 

 sumers are unwise in demanding whiteness. In my household we 

 make our own bread, but occasionally, when the demand exceeds 

 ordinary supply, a loaf or two is bought from the baker. I find that, 

 with corresponding or identical flour, the baker's bread is whiter than 

 the home-made, and correspondingly inferior. I may say, colorless 

 in flavor, it lacks the characteristic of wheaten sweetness. There are, 

 however, exceptions to this, as certain bakers are now doing a great 

 business in supplying what they call *' home-made " or " farm-house " 

 bread. It is darker in color than ordinary bread, but is sold neverthe- 

 less at a higher price, and I find that it has the flavor of the bread 

 made in my own kitchen. "When their customers become more intel- 

 ligent, all the bakers will doubtless cease to incur the expense of buy- 



