Bread, to answer the requirements of a good, wholesome article of food, besides being palatable, must be light, porous, and friable, so that it can be easily insalivated and digested. It should contain as many as possible of the elements of nutrition, and should avoid ingredients which will in any way be injurious if taken into the system. Wheat, the substance from which bread is most generally made, contains all the necessary food elements in proper proportions to meet the requirements of nutrition; and in order for the bread also to contain them, the flour from which it is produced must be made of the entire wheat berry. There are several varieties of such flour, it being variously termed wheat flour, wheat-berry flour, wheat meal, graham flour, etc. They differ only in the treatment given to the wheat kernel before grinding.

How To Select Flour

Good bread cannot be made without good flour. The quality of a brand of flour will of course depend much upon the kind of grain from which it is prepared - whether new or old; perfect, or deteriorated by rust, mold, or exposure; and also upon the thoroughness with which it has been cleansed from dust, chaff, and all foreign substances, as well as upon the method by which it is ground.

It is not possible to judge of all these particulars by the appearance of the flour, but, in general, good flour will be sweet, dry, and free from any sour or musty smell or taste. If, on taking up a handful, it falls from the hand light and elastic, it is pretty sure to be good.

The dough which is made from good flour is elastic, and will retain its shape. This elastic property is due to the gluten. The gluten of good flour will swell to several times its original bulk, while that of poor flour will not swell.

In buying white flour, do not select that which is pure white, with a bluish tinge, but that which is of a creamy, yellowish-white tint. Fine flour made from the entire grain may generally be distinguished from a spurious article by taking a small portion into the mouth and chewing it. Raw flour made from the entire grain has a sweet taste, and a rich, nutty flavor like that experienced in chewing a whole grain of wheat, and produces a goodly quantity of gum, or gluten; while a spurious article tastes flat and insipid like starch, or has a bitter, pungent flavor resulting from the presence of impurities. This bitter quality is also noticeable in bread made from such flour.

Another test of flour is the fact that a given quantity of poor flour will not make as much bread as the same quantity of good flour. It is well to obtain a small quantity of flour first, and put it to the test of bread-making; then, if satisfactory, purchase that brand so long as it proves good. It is true economy to buy a flour known to be good, even though it may cost more than some others.

How To Keep Flour

Flour should always be kept in a tight receptacle, and in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place. It should not be allowed to remain in close proximity to any substance of strong odor, as it very readily absorbs odors and gaseous impurities. A damp atmosphere will cause it to absorb moisture, and as a result, the gluten will lose some of its tenacity and become sticky, and bread made from the flour will be inferior in quality. Flour which has absorbed dampness from any cause should be sifted into a large tray, spread out thin, and exposed to the hot sun or placed in a warming-oven for a few hours.

Yeast

Next to good flour the most important requisite in the manufacture of fermented bread is good yeast. The best of flour, used with poor yeast, will not produce good bread. The most convenient and reliable kind of marketable yeast, when it can be had fresh, is the compressed yeast. The dry yeast cakes sold in packages are less to be recommended; for, though they are always ready for use, the quality of the bread they produce is generally inferior to that made with either compressed yeast or good liquid yeast. If this sort of yeast must be depended upon, the cakes known as "Yeast Foam" are the best of any with which the writer is acquainted. A great variety of good liquid yeasts are easily made, and many housekeepers prefer this to any other kind.

Tests For Yeast

Liquid yeast, when good, looks light and foamy; has a pungent odor somewhat similar to weak ammonia, and a sharp, biting flavor. Yeast is poor when it looks dull and watery, and has a sour odor. Compressed yeast, if good, breaks off dry, and looks white; if poor, it appears moist and stringy. If there is any question as to the quality of yeast, it is always best to test it before using by adding a little flour to a small quantity and setting it in a warm place. If it begins to lighten in the course of fifteen or twenty minutes,' it is good.