Bread differs in composition considerably. The water present in a loaf may vary from nearly one-third to nearly one-half of its weight. Thus one brand provides the buyer with 62 per cent. of feeding matter while another provides only 52 or 53. The selection is, therefore, of enormous importance, for a loss of one-sixth to a family consuming 4 lb. a day means that in twelve months there is a loss equal to over seventy large loaves.

The housekeeper who makes her own bread should remember that the weight made from a given weight of flour depends upon -

1. The character of the flour, which absorbs more or less water.

2. The quantity of water used in making the dough.

3. The size of the loaf.

4. The shape of the loaf, whether it is a cottage or baked in a tin.

5. The temperature at which it is baked.

6. The length of time it is baking.

Milk

Cows' milk is the most substantial of all fluid foods. It is slightly heavier than water, although water forms 87 1/2 per cent. of an average sample. In other words, 100 lb. of cows' milk (10 gallons) contains approximately 87 1/2 lb. of water, 31/2 lb. of fat, from which we make butter, 4 3/4 lb. of sugar, 3 1/2 lb. of the protein material, casein, which as a food resembles the albumin of egg and the gluten of bread, and nearly 3/4 lb. of mineral salts. A man drinking twelve half-pint glasses of milk in twenty-four hours can well sustain life, although the solid food which this quantity would provide would weigh only 15 oz. Milk, however, is perfectly balanced, and it contains all the constituents necessary for the maintenance of the body. The fat of milk is present in the form of minute globules, which are regularly distributed, although they are irregular in size. Those in rich milk are larger than those in poor milk, and they have been estimated to number from one to three and three-quarter millions in a cubic millimetre.

When warm milk is poured into a shallow vessel standing in an apartment at 60° F. the fat rises to the surface and forms cream. It is this cream that is churned into butter. The milk from which it is removed is skimmed milk, but if it is removed by mechanical means it is termed separated milk. This form of milk still contains the sugar, the casein, and the mineral salts, and is, therefore, one of the cheapest foods on the market, although it is usually given to pigs or to calves.

The Nutritive Value Of Milk

The Nutritive Value Of Milk, containing 3 1/2 per cent. of fat, may be placed at 300 units of heat or energy to the pint. As, however, the sugar of milk is fairly constant in quantity, and as it is the fat, and, to a smaller extent, the casein, which is materially increased in rich milk, the public should take the precaution to ensure both quality and purity, as a slight increase in the quality adds materially to its nutritive value. If milk resembling that just referred to costs 4d. a quart, it follows that a penny buys 150 units, but the same sum spent in skimmed milk at 6d. a gallon purchases 235. Buyers of milk should guard against artificial colouring and preserving with drugs. The milk food Sanogen is an excellent tonic when one is run down.

Condensed Milk

This is a rich food for growing children and adults - being an excellent addition to puddings, fruit tarts, porridge, raw or stewed fruits, and sweet dishes of all kinds. Condensed milk is the milk of the cow deprived of a large proportion of its water. As it varies largely in quality - for in some brands a part of the cream has been removed - it is important that a regular buyer should ascertain which is the best. A good sample contains 11 per cent. of fat, 8 per cent. of casein, and 65 per cent. of sugar, with 2 per cent. of mineral salts. Thus a 15 oz. tin contains 10 oz. of sugar - two-thirds of which consists of cane sugar. At 3d. a pound in normal times the sugar is worth 2d., the fat at 18d. a pound 2d., and the casein 1d., or 5d. in all omitting the minerals. Skimmed condensed milk is also an economical food if we make allowance for the cost of the tin and the convenience. Pound tins of the past have been reduced to 13 oz., while the pre-war value of the sugar and casein is 2 1/2d. To bring back this milk to its original condition a tin should be mixed with 30 oz., or 1 1/2 pints of water.

Cream

Cream is a luxury, and, as with fats, excess is better avoided unless it is eaten with fruit and bread, or some equivalent food. In a half-pint of rich cream, weighing 10 oz., there are 6 oz., of pure butter-fat - over 3 1/2 oz. of the remainder consisting of water. When, therefore, cream is eaten freely with fruit, the consumer is practically eating butter and water. In Devonshire clotted cream, as in poor raw cream, there is a slight increase of the casein of the milk. As a source of energy rich cream, costing 2s. a pint, provides 135 units for a penny.

Butter

Butter of average quality consists of 86 per cent. or about 13 3/4 oz., of milk fat in the pound, and 14 per cent. of water. While a badly made sample may contain more water - in a perfectly made sample there may be as little as 12 per cent. A roll of fine butter should be tough, but not greasy, and when bent it should gradually fracture, thus showing the grain which resembles that of cast iron. If butter is heavily salted it is not only of less value as food, but the fine flavour for which it is eaten is neutralised to such an extent that the consumer might as well eat margarine. There is a wide difference in the flavour and colour of butter. That made in Denmark is produced in the creamery as in Ireland, and is consistently uniform, while that imported from France is made by the farmers of Normandy and Brittany, and graded and blended in factories. Flavour is partly due to the richness of the milk, and partly to the action of bacteria, which produce acidity in the cream. Butter should not be kept more than a week, and always stored in a dry place at a temperature of 40° to 50° F. It is an expensive form of fat, and is not essential as part of a diet, for its place can be taken without loss by margarine, dripping, lard, or fat bacon. The value of butter as a food, like that of all fats, lies in its great power to provide heat and energy. There is, however, a limit to fat eating, and that is placed, in the case of a strong, healthy man, doing regular exercise, at 5 1/2 oz. a day. Few people, however, can take so much without upsetting the stomach. Butter is more easily digested and absorbed than the solid fats of mutton and beef, for the reason that it contains a larger proportion of the more fluid fats in its composition. It is for this reason, too, that oils and margarine made from oils are so useful. It is well that the public should know that a large portion of the butter they consume is made in Siberia and Argentina, and that whether it is manufactured under perfect conditions or not those conditions are practically unknown to the consumers of this country.