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MAKING AND BAKING OF BREAD.
          MAKING AND BAKING OF BREAD.
                         FLOUR.
  PEOPLE in the flour trade generally knead a small quan-
tity by way of experiment; if good, it immediately forms an
adhesive, elastic paste, which will readily assmme any form,
without danger of breaking: pure and unadulterated flour
may likewise be easily distinguished by other methods.
Seize a handful briskly, and squeeze it half a minute; it
preserves the form of the cavity of the hand in one piecei
although it may be rudely placed on the table. Not so that
which contains foreign substances: it breaks in pieces more
or less--that mixed with whiting being the most adhesive,
but still dividing and falling down in a little time. Flour
mixed with ground stones, bones, or plaster of Paris, loses
its form at once, and the more bran there may be in it, the
sooner it will be flat on the board. It may also be ob-
served, that genuine flour will longer keep the impression
even of the grains of the skin, than that which is adulterated,
the latter very soon throwing up the fine maks.  Let a
person of a moist skin rub flour briskly between the palms
of both hands: if there be whiting among it, he will find re-
sistance; but if white pure flour, none. If there is time, put
a table-spoonful into a basin and mix with cold water until
it is of the consistence of pudding-batter; then set a small
pan upon the fire with half a gill of water. when this water
is hot, but before it boils, pour in the batter, and let it boil
three minutes. If sound, the flour will unite as a good sound
pudding; if unsound, it breaks, curdles, and appears some-
what watery. Again; drop the juice of a lemon, or good
vinegar upon flour: if the flour be pure, it remains at
rest; if adulterated, an immediate commotion takes place.
This is the readiest method of detecting stone-dust and
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