The Rural Voice, 1977-12, Page 19the rural
amily
Bread making
can be easy
If you enjoy the aroma of bread baking in
the oven, it's well worth the effort to make
it say food consultants at Agriculture
Canada. It's really not all that difficult to
do.
The main ingredients in yeast breads are
simple -just flour, liquid, yeast, salt, sugar
and fat. The sugar and fat ensure an
acceptable flavor and texture. The actual
making of the bread involves four
steps -mixing, kneading, fermentation and
baking. After mixing, bread dough is
kneaded until it is smooth and elastic to
develop "gluten." This is the framework
that holds in the gas produced by the yeast
during fermentation. The dough is allowed
to sit in a warm place to rise until double in
bulk. This is the longest prt of the
procedure usually requiring bout 1'/2
hours.
Food consultants at Agriculture Canada
recommend that you try this Oatmeal
Bread recipe. just to see how easy it is to
prepare. The Honey Oatmeal bread is
delicious too.
I teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup luke%varm water
1 package active dry yeast
2 cups hot milk
1/2 cup molasses
tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 cups rolled oats
5 to 51/2 cups all-purpose flour
Dissolve sugar in water and sprinkle
yeast over top. Let stand 10 minutes.
Combine next four ingredients and stir
until shortening melts. Cool to lukewarm
and stir in yeast mixture and oats.
Gradually beat in 3 cups flour. Work in
enough remaining flour to make soft
dough. Turn onto floured board and knead
until smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes).
Shtpe in ball and place in greased bowl,
turning to grease top. Cover and let stand
in warm place until double in bulk (about
11/2 hours). Punch down, divide in half,
cover and let rest 10 minutes. Shape into 2
loaves and place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf
pans. Brush with melted fat. Cover and let
rise 1'/2, hours). Bake 30 to 35 mins. at 375
dgs. F. Makes 2 loaves.
HONEY OATMEAL BREAD
Make an Oatmeal Bread, but use
1/2 cup liquid honey in place of
1/2 cup molasses.
Unbaked bread dough may be frozen.
Complete the recipe method to the end of
kneading but use two packages active dry
yeast and two teaspoons sugar to activate
the yeast. Cover the dough and let it rest 20
minutes, then shape it into loaves or rolls.
Place these on greased baking sheets and
brush with melted fat. Cover and freeze
until firm (about 1 hour), then transfer to
freezer bags and return to freezer. Frozen
bread dough keeps well for a month in the
freezer.
To bake, remove dough from freezer,
grease tops and place in greased pans.
Cover and allow to thaw in refrigerator
(about 16 hours). Remove from refrigerat-
or, leave uncovered and allow the dough to
rise in a warm place until it has doubled in
bulk (about 1 hour). Bake as you would for
fresh.
Bread may also be frozen after baking.
Package cooled loaves in freezer bags or
aluminum foil for freezing. Frozen baked
bread keeps for 2 months in the freezer.
Refrigerating bread is not recommended as
it encouraged the bread to go stale.
However, refrigeration of bread during
hot, humid weather is acceptable as it will
prevent mold growth. If you store bread at
room temperature in an airtight container,
it will keep well for four to five days.
Canadians spending
less to get more food
Canadian consumers bought $17.2
billion worth of food for home use last
year -41 percent more than in 1975.
However, in relative terms, consumers
were better off and spent less of their
disposable incomes on food than in the
previous three years.
Canadian consumers spent 13.6 percent
of their total 1976 disposable income on
food at home. This compares with
expenditures of 13.9 percent in 1975, 16.2
percent in 1965. 19 percent in 1955 and
20.6 percent in 1950.
These figures, recorded in Agriculture
Canada's recently updated Handbook of
Food Expenditures, Prices and Consump-
tion, do not include the cost of food
consumed away from home. In each of the
last six years, food outside the home has
accounted for about four percent of
disposable income.
The retail food price index rose by less
than three percent in 1976. The average
retail price of many basic commodities
such as potatoes, spaghetti, shortening,
beef, pork and chicken went down in 1976.
Of 52 food products compared, 31 were the
same price or lower-priced in 1976 than in
1975..
Annual per capital beef consumption in
1976 was 110 pounds, up from 102 pounds
the year before. Pork consumption also
increased; the average Canadian ate 53
pounds of pork last year, compared with 51
pounds in 1975. Per capital chicken
consumption rose from 30 pounds to 33
pounds. Turkey consumption was almost
unchanged at 9.3 pounds. Consumption of
mutton and Iamb dropped slightly to 2.4
pounds per person.
Fluid milk consumption rose to 266
pounds (103 quarts or 113 liters) per person
last year, an increase of 10 pounds.
However, prior to last year, milk
consumption had been declining; 20 years
ago the average Canadian drank about 400
pounds of milk each year. Butter
consumption is also falling; in the early
1960s it was about 18 pounds per capita,
compared with only 11 pounds per person
in 1976. Cheddar cheese consumption
slipped to less than four pounds per
person last year, its lowest level since
1968.
However. in 1976, Canadians ate more
processed and specialty cheeses than ever
before -- about six pounds of each. Skim
milk powder consumption was about six
pounds last year and the average Canadian
consumed a little less than three gallons of
ice cream.
Egg consumption last year was 27.5
pounds per capita (approximately 18
dozen), about the same as in 1975.
Average potato consumption was 163
pounds, three pounds more than in 1975.
Per capita consumption figures for other
vegetables, as well as fruits, are not yet
available for 1976 because of data revisions
at Statistics Canada. _