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Graham Bread

A historical recipe from The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) Cooking, Toilet and Household Recipes, Menus, Dinner-Giving, Table Etiquette, Care of the, by Gillette, F. L. (Fanny Lemira), Hugo Ziemann (1887).

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A historical recipe

The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) Cooking, Toilet and Household Recipes, Menus, Dinner-Giving, Table Etiquette, Care of the Sick, Health Suggestions, Facts Worth Knowing, Etc., Etc. The Whole Comprising a Comprehensive Cyclopedia of Information for the Home, by Gillette, F. L. (Fanny Lemira), Hugo Ziemann (1887). Project Gutenberg eBook #13923.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Ingredients 9 ingredients

  1. One teacupful of wheat flour
  2. one-half teacupful of Porto Rico molasses
  3. one-half cupful of good yeast
  4. one teaspoonful of salt
  5. one pint of warm water
  6. one teaspoonful of soda
  7. three cups of Graham flour
  8. one cup of white flour
  9. a cup of sugar

Possible health benefits

General information, not medical advice.

  1. Wheat flour High in manganese · High in selenium · Source of folate · +2

    High in manganese · 0.8 mg per 100 g, 40% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Manganese contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Manganese contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
    • Manganese contributes to the normal formation of connective tissue.
    1 more authorised claims
    • Manganese contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Manganese is a mineral that your body needs to stay healthy. Your body uses manganese to make energy and protect your cells from damage. NIH fact sheet

    High in selenium · 40 µg per 100 g, 72% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Selenium contributes to normal spermatogenesis.
    • Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair.
    • Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal nails.
    3 more authorised claims
    • Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Selenium contributes to the normal thyroid function.
    • Selenium contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Selenium is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. Your thyroid gland needs selenium to produce hormones and function properly. NIH fact sheet

    Source of folate · 33 µg per 100 g, 17% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Folate contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy.
    • Folate contributes to normal amino acid synthesis.
    • Folate contributes to normal blood formation.
    5 more authorised claims
    • Folate contributes to normal homocysteine metabolism.
    • Folate contributes to normal psychological function.
    • Folate contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Folate contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
    • Folate has a role in the process of cell division.

    Folate is a B-vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. Your body needs folate to make DNA and other genetic material. NIH fact sheet

    Source of copper · 0.2 mg per 100 g, 18% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Copper contributes to maintenance of normal connective tissues.
    • Copper contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Copper contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    5 more authorised claims
    • Copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation.
    • Copper contributes to normal iron transport in the body.
    • Copper contributes to normal skin pigmentation.
    • Copper contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Copper contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Copper is a mineral that you need to stay healthy. Your body uses copper to carry out many important functions, including making energy, connective tissues, and blood vessels. NIH fact sheet

    Source of protein · 12 g per 100 g, 13% of the energy from protein

    • Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass.
    • Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
    • Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Wheat flours, bread, unenriched”, USDA FoodData Central.

Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.

Method

  1. One teacupful of wheat flour, one-half teacupful of Porto Rico molasses, one-half cupful of good yeast, one teaspoonful of salt, one pint of warm water;
  2. add sufficient Graham flour to make the dough as stiff as can be stirred with a strong spoon;
  3. this is to be mixed at night;
  4. in the morning, add one teaspoonful of soda, dissolved in a little water;
  5. mix well, and pour into two medium-sized pans;
  6. they will be about half full;
  7. let it stand in a warm place until it rises to the top of the pans, then bake one hour in a pretty hot oven.
  8. This should be covered about twenty minutes when first put into the oven with a thick brown paper, or an old tin cover;
  9. it prevents the upper crust hardening before the loaf is well-risen.
  10. If these directions are correctly followed the bread will not be heavy or sodden, as it has been tried for years and never failed.
  11. GRAHAM BREAD.
  12. (Unfermented.) Stir together three heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, three cups of Graham flour and one cup of white flour;
  13. then add a large teaspoonful of salt and half a cup of sugar.
  14. Mix all thoroughly with milk or water into as stiff a batter as can be stirred with a spoon.
  15. If water is used, a lump of butter as large as a walnut may be melted and stirred into it.
  16. Bake immediately in well-greased pans.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Wooden spoon
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) Cooking, Toilet and Household Recipes, Menus, Dinner-Giving, Table Etiquette, Care of the, by Gillette, F. L. (Fanny Lemira), Hugo Ziemann (1887). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #13923 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13923). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.