Buttermilk.
We will now pass on to buttermilk, which you all know is very useful in the manufacture of soda and powdered goods, as the lactic acid already formed has the property of softening the gluten in the flour, thereby rendering the goods soft and mellow. As, however, I am concerned with bread-making, we will leave the powdered goods alone. I have had some very good results from condensed milk by keeping it active, and not allowing it to lag. It seems to have a bleaching effect, and from a nutritive point of view comes very near to new milk. Again, the proteids of the milk and mineral matter are practically digested by the action of the lactic organisms, and new milk undergoes no change during fermentation in the dough. The changed condition in the buttermilk is of great advantage, and lactic acid adds flavor to bread made with compressed yeast. There is no reason to suppose that bread made with buttermilk will go sour sooner than that made with fresh milk if the fermentation is managed properly. To use buttermilk in bread-making the milk must be fresh—not more than twenty-four hours old. Old milk will not do, and when fermentation is started the dough must be attended to and baked in a good oven. Of course, I am not going to advise a novice to use buttermilk, or he would most probably be doomed to failure, but I have indicated the possibilities of the use of buttermilk. I will give you an analysis of buttermilk and also of new milk. New milk contains 4.0 per cent of fat, 3.6 of proteids, 4.5 milk sugar, 9.7 of ash or mineral matter, 87.2 per cent. of lactic acid. Buttermilk has the following proportions: Fat 0.8, proteids 3.7, milk sugar 3.8, ash or mineral matter 0.7, H2O 90.85, lactic acid 0.85. The production of lactic acid is limited to the proportion of milk sugar present. I have not made large quantities of bread with buttermilk, but have treated certain quantities as a hobby to try what I could really do with it, and the results were quite satisfactory.