Radio Hints on Daily Bread (1945)

The food specialists of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the first half of the twentieth century provided information and recipes to the public via a radio program called Homemaker’s Chat. In 1945, during the period of post-WWII food restrictions, one of the topics was “Daily Bread.”

We can sympathize with the poor man in the song who gets "no bread "with one meat "ball" because as every smart homemaker knows - "bread is one of the best of the meat extenders.

Nowadays - when bread, like other cereal products - is among the plentiful foods, you depend on it to spread the meat flavor to the last bite, whether it's the bun on the hamburger or the roast stuffing made of bread crumbs.

No question about it, you can use bread to stretch the red points, and if you have time for some home baking, here are suggestions from food specialists of the U. S. Department of Agriculture on bread variations you may not have tried.

For example, you can extend the cheese flavor by adding grated cheese to bread dough. The proportions? Well, you will find the recipe in a bulletin prepared by food specialists of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. In just a minute, I’ll tell you where you can get a copy.

Another variation that adds richness and flavor to homemade bread is peanut butter. Or you may wish to use chopped nuts – pecans, walnuts, peanuts, or hickory nuts make good nut bread.

Since it is "daily bread" - in most households - not once but three times a day, the more ways you can vary the bread, the brighter the meals. No matter how well the members of your family enjoy hot biscuits, chances are they’ll welcome whole wheat muffins, Parker house rolls now and then – popovers, once in awhile.

Making breads at home isn't a hard job - if you have accurate directions - and that brings me back to what I said a while ago - the bulletin. It's called "Home-made Bread, Cake and Pastry, " and you can get a copy free by writing to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington 25, D.C.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a copy of the bulletin mentioned, but I hope the following idea, from the Los Angeles Times of December 18, 1929, will be acceptable.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Cheese Bread

One-half a cake of yeast, one and one-half cupfuls of lukewarm milk, one and one-half cupfuls of finely grated stale cheese, one tablespoonful of sugar, four and one-half cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of salt; dissolve the yeast in a cupful of warm milk, scald the remaining milk, remove from the fire, add the grated cheese, and stir until the cheese is dissolved; when the milk and cheese are lukewarm, add the yeast, sugar, and one cupful of flour, beat well and set in a warm place to rise until light. Add enough more flour to make of a medium consistency, knead well, oil the bowl, place the dough in it, brush with melted shortening and allow to rise again, when double in bulk, knead again, form into a loaf, place in an oiled baking pan, and let it rise again. Place in a hot oven for the first ten minutes, then reduce to a moderate oven and bake until done.