will make about two hundred and seventy
pounds of good dry bread. It does not appear that the bread contains
more water than the grain did from which it was made. Whence, then, the
increase of weight by seventy-four pounds? Is not the water--a part of
it, at least--which is used in making bread, rendered solid, as water is
in slacking lime; or at least so incorporated with the flour or meal as
to add both to its weight, and to its nutritious properties?

Or if, in the present infancy of the science of domestic chemistry, we
are not able to give a satisfactory answer to the question, is not an
affirmative highly probable? Such an answer would give no countenance, I
believe, to the custom of raising our bread, since the increase of
weight in making unfermented cakes or loaves, is about as great as in
the case of fermented ones.

One of the strongest arguments ever yet brought against bread-making is,
that it relieves us from the necessity of mastication. But to this we
reply, that such cakes as may be made (and such loaves even) require
more mastication than the uncooked grains. Pereira, in his excellent
work on Diet, endeavors to support the doctrine that cooking bursts the
grains of the farinacea, so as to bring them the better within the power
of the stomach. This is specious, if not sound. In any event, I think it
pretty certain, that though man can do very well on raw grains, yet
there is a gain by cookery which more than repays the trouble. But
though baking the flour or meal into cakes or bread, is the best method
of preparation, there are other methods, secondary to this, which
deserve our notice. One of these I will now describe.

SECTION A.--_Boiled Grains._

These require less mastication than those which are submitted to other
processes; but they are more easy of digestion, and to some more
palatable, and even more digestible.

RECEIPT 1.--Take good perfect wheat; wash clean, and boil till soft in
pure soft water. Those who are accustomed to salt their food, use sugar,
etc., will naturally salt and sweeten this.

RECEIPT 2.--Rye or barley may be prepared in the same way, but it is not
quite so sweet.

RECEIPT 3.--Indian corn may be boiled, but the process requires six
hours or more, even after it has soaked all night, and there has been a
frequent change of the water. And with all this boiling, the skins
sometimes adhere rather strongly, unless you boil with them some ashes,
or other alkali.

RECE