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In the baking of breads, quick breads, cakes, pies and pastries, there is too general an impres- sion among most women that “flour is flour,” therefore any kind of flour will do. This failure to remember a few essential principles, easily understood, may be the source of disappointment and dissatisfaction.

For bread-making, wheat, rye, or corn flour are available; and in all the classifications indicated below. For cakes, pies and pastries the tendency to eontinue the use of wheat flour, in its white form, is still strongly evident; although increased knowledge of food values is leading many women to experiment with whole wheat flour for pie crust. They realize that it is more difficult to roll into flat sheets, and handle, because of its particles of bran, but they sacrifice convenience in handling for proved increase of food value.

Wheat flour makes the best bread; rye second best, but should be used in combination with wheat flour, or bread will be sticky and moist. Corn flour also gives best results used with wheat flour; used alone, bread will be crumbly.

A grain of wheat consists of an outer covering which is removed before milling; three bran coats, which contain highly valuable mineral salts; the endosperm, made of starch, gluten, a small amount of protein and cellulose; and the germ, which con- tains fat and protein.