The Boston Cook Book.
41
from the best quality of wheat, and keeps well. It is con-
sidered by many as the best flour for bread, as it makes a
whiter, nicer-looking loaf. Haxall flour swells more than
that made by the old process, as it contains more of the
gluten ; the same measure making a greater quantit}^ of
bread than the St. Louis flour. It is, therefore, cheaper
in the end, though costing more per barrel. By repeated
siftings, this flour loses its gluten, as does that made by
the St. Louis process, and consequentlj^ is then inferior as
a food. But we can supply by other flours and other food
what this flour lacks in* nutritious qualities ; and until the
popular taste is educated to demand the amount of nutri-
ment contained in bread rather than the whiteness of it, as
a test of its qualit}^, it is well to make our fine, white bread
from this, which is the best flour, and have it as nearly
perfect as possible.
There have been many variations of the Haxall process,
and all are included under the term 7ieic-process flour.
Minnesota. — The Minnesota, or patent-process, flour is
now considered one of the best grades. The Washburn,
Pillsbury, and many other mills located in Minneapolis are
the largest flour-mills in the world, and produce an excel-
lent quality of flour, in which a large proportion of the
gluten is retained. This Minnesota flour is made from
carefull}^ selected wheat grown in the Eed River region,
the best wheat-growing section in America. The first step
in the process is the breaking off of the germinal point of
each grain by what are called ending stones. Then it is
sent through corrugated iron rollers, having shallow grooves
cut spirally upon them, with rounded ridges between, and
the opposing rollers grooved in an opposite direction. The
grains are crushed (not ground) ; the starchy parts, or
middlings, being quite finely powdered and easily separa-
ted from the bran or tailings. After this separation the
middUngs are passed through ten bolting-cloths, and
then through other and finer corrugated machines, and
made into the various grades of flne, superfine^ and fancy
flours.
42
The Boston Cook Book.
Health-Food Flour, — A still better method of convert-
ing wheat into flour, and one which is indorsed b}^ leading
scientists and physicians, has been recently introduced by
the Health Food Company of New York. Only the choicest
kinds of wheat are used. The outer husk is first removed
by moistening the grain, and subjecting it to a gentle rub-
bing by what is termed the "attrition process." This
softens the wood}^ fibre of the outer bran, which is easily
removed by sifting, but does not affect the hard gluten
coats. The grains are dried, then pulverized into various
grades hj a compressed cold-air blast, which dashes the
grains into atoms with tremendous force. This is called
whole-wheat flour, the name indicating that the whole of the
gluten, or nutritive part of the flour, is retained. It is not
sifted like other flours, but pulverized into all the varieties
of crushed loheat^ coarse granulated and Jine granulated wheat;
each variety, even the finest flour, containing all that is
valuable as food.
Page 29
Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The Boston Cook Book.
from the best quality of wheat, and keeps well. It is considered by many as the best flour for bread, as it makes a whiter, nicer-looking loaf. Haxall flour swells more than that made by the old process, as it contains more of the gluten ; the same measure making a greater quantit}^ of bread than the St. Louis flour. It is, therefore, cheaper in the end, though costing more per barrel. By repeated siftings, this flour loses its gluten, as does that made by the St. Louis process, and consequentlj^ is then inferior as a food. But we can supply by other flours and other food what this flour lacks in nutritious qualities ; and until the popular taste is educated to demand the amount of nutriment contained in bread rather than the whiteness of it, as a test of its qualit}^, it is well to make our fine, white bread from this, which is the best flour, and have it as nearly perfect as possible.
There have been many variations of the Haxall process, and all are included under the term 7ieic-process flour.
Minnesota. — The Minnesota, or patent-process, flour is now considered one of the best grades. The Washburn, Pillsbury, and many other mills located in Minneapolis are the largest flour-mills in the world, and produce an excellent quality of flour, in which a large proportion of the gluten is retained. This Minnesota flour is made from carefull}^ selected wheat grown in the Eed River region, the best wheat-growing section in America. The first step in the process is the breaking off of the germinal point of each grain by what are called ending stones Then it is sent through corrugated iron rollers, having shallow grooves cut spirally upon them, with rounded ridges between, and the opposing rollers grooved in an opposite direction. The grains are crushed (not ground) ; the starchy parts, or middlings, being quite finely powdered and easily separated from the bran or tailings. After this separation the middUngs are passed through ten bolting-cloths, and then through other and finer corrugated machines, and made into the various grades of flne, superfine^ and fancy flours.
The Boston Cook Book.
Health-Food Flour, — A still better method of converting wheat into flour, and one which is indorsed b}^ leading scientists and physicians, has been recently introduced by the Health Food Company of New York. Only the choicest kinds of wheat are used. The outer husk is first removed by moistening the grain, and subjecting it to a gentle rubbing by what is termed the "attrition process." This softens the wood}^ fibre of the outer bran, which is easily removed by sifting, but does not affect the hard gluten coats. The grains are dried, then pulverized into various grades hj a compressed cold-air blast, which dashes the grains into atoms with tremendous force. This is called whole-wheat flour, the name indicating that the whole of the gluten, or nutritive part of the flour, is retained. It is not sifted like other flours, but pulverized into all the varieties of crushed loeat coarse granulated and Jine granulated wheat; each variety, even the finest flour, containing all that is valuable as food.