1. Closely related to yeast breads, or those in which yeast is used as
the leavening agent, are breads known as HOT BREADS, or QUICK BREADS. As
these names indicate, such breads are prepared in a very short time and
are intended to be served while they are fresh and hot. Hot breads, to
call such breads by the name in common use, are made by baking a batter
or a dough mixture formed by mixing flour, liquid, salt, and a leavening
agent. The nature of the mixture, however, is governed by the proportion
of flour and liquid, the two ingredients that form the basis of all
bread mixtures; and by incorporating with them such ingredients as eggs,
sugar, shortening, flavouring, fruits, nuts, etc. there may be produced
an almost endless variety of appetising hot breads, which include
popovers, griddle cakes, waffles, muffins, soft gingerbread, corn cake
or corn bread, Boston brown bread, nut loaf, and baking-powder and
beaten biscuit. Because of the variety these hot breads afford, they
help considerably to relieve the monotony of meals. In fact, the
housewife has come to depend so much on breads of this kind that their
use has become almost universal. As is well known, however, certain
kinds are typical of certain localities; for instance, beaten biscuit
and hoe cake are characteristic of the Southern States of the United
States, while Boston brown bread is used most extensively in the New
England States and throughout the East. The popular opinion of most
persons is that hot breads are injurious. It is perhaps true that they
may be injurious to individuals afflicted with some digestive
disturbance, but, at any rate, the harmful effect may be reduced to a
minimum by the correct preparation and baking of these foods.