SUBSTITUTES  FOR  THE  FERMENTATION  OF  BREAD. 
43 
the  quantity  of  carbonate  of  soda  that  is  employed,  the  quantity 
of  the  muriatic  acid  varying  according  to  the  known  sp.  grav.  of 
the  same.  The  flour  must  be  divided  into  two  equal  portions ;  to 
one  portion,  which  is  to  be  put  into  a  wide  earthenware  pan  or 
trough,  the  solution  of  soda  must  be  gradually  poured  in,  at  the 
same  time  well  stirring  and  beating  the  mixture  with  a  large  wooden 
spoon  or  other  suitable  instrument,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a 
uniform  batter,  free  from  all  lumps.  All  pieces  adhering  to  the 
sides  of  the  pan  or  spoon  must  be  scraped  down  into  the  batter  be- 
fore the  mixing  is  finished.  Upon  this  batter  the  other  portion  of 
the  flour  is  then  thrown,  and  while  in  the  act  of  briskly  stirring 
them  together  from  the  bottom,  pour  in  gradually  the  diluted  muri- 
atic acid,  then  let  the  dough  be  formed,  and  while  in  a  rough  state 
let  it  be  thrown  on  the  board  and  lightly  kneaded  with  a  bis- 
cuit-brake or  rolling-pin  for  a  few  minutes,  doubling  and  roll- 
ing it,  it  becomes  blended  and  quite  uniform  and  light,  care  being 
taken,  however,  that  this  process  is  not  continued  too  long.  When 
this  is  accomplished  the  dough  may  be  lightly  moulded  with  dry 
flour,  and  baked  in  middling-sized  loaves  distinct  from  each 
other. 
The  oven  should  be  hot  enough  to  raise  the  dough  quickly,  but 
not  so  hot  as  to  bind  the  crust  too  soon.  The  mixing  should  be 
conducted  in  a  cool  place,  and  the  water  used  as  cold  as  possible. 
Common  salt  should  be  added  to  flavor  the  bread.  Great  care 
must  always  be  taken  in  mixing  to  secure  a  perfect  union  of  the 
acid  and  alkali,  otherwise  the  bread  will  be  discolored.  When 
eggs,  milk,  butter,  sugar,  and  spices  are  to  be  used  in  making 
different  kinds  of  light  cakes,  the  same  may  be  mixed  with  one 
portion  of  the  flour  before  the  alkali  is  added  to  it,  and  the  dough 
made  as  above  described.  The  flour  of  rye  and  that  of  barley  and 
oats,  when  mixed  with  some  of  wheat,  may  be  made  into  bread  in 
the  same  manner ;  if  potatoes  are  used  they  must  on  no  account 
exceed  one-third  by  weight  of  the  quantity  of  flour  used.  Rice 
may  also  be  used  with  wheaten  flour,  though  the  best  bread  is 
generally  made  from  wheaten  flour  alone. 
Dr.  Whiting's  process  does  not  appear  to  have  ever  been  exten- 
sively used,  but  the  subject  was  revived,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few 
years,  by  Dr.  R.  Thomson,  who  stated,  that  by  the  new  system,  a 
sack  of  flour  gave  a  product  of  107  loaves  instead  of  100  loaves,  as 
