Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

192 CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTpermit baking. It is a cracker prepared of plaiC'flour and water, not even salted, and kiln-dried to achip, so as to keep indefinitely, its only enemiesbeing weevils. Get the coarsest grade. To makehardtack palatable, toast it until crisp, or soak inhot coffee and butter it, or at least salt it.Swedish hardtack, made of whole rye flour, isgood for a change.Plasmon biscuit, imported from England, is themost nutritious breadstuff I have ever used. It isa round cracker, firm but not hard, of good flavor,containing a large percentage of the protein of milk,six of the small biscuits holding as much proteid asa quarter of a pound of beef. Plasmon will be discussedin Volume II, under Emergency Rations.Flour.— Graham and entire-wheat flours containmore protein than patent flour, but this is offset bythe fact that it is not so digestible as the protein ofstandard flour. Practically there is little or no differencebetween them in the amount of protein assimilated.The same seems to be true of theirmineral ingredients.Many campers depend a good deal on self-raisingflour because it saves a little trouble in mixing.But such flour is easily spoiled by dampness, it doesnot make as good biscuit or flapjacks as one can turnout in camp by doing his own mixing, and it willnot do for thickening, dredging, etc.Flour and meal should be sifted before startingon an expedition : there will be no sieve in camp.Baking Powder.— Get the best, made with purecream of tartar. It costs more than the alum powders,and does not go so far, bulk for bulk ; but itis much kinder to the stomach. Baking soda willnot be needed on short trips, but is required forlonger ones, in making sour-dough, as a steady dietof baking-powder bread or biscuit will ruin thestomach, if persisted in for a considerable time.Soda also is useful medicinally.Corn Meal.— Some like yellow, some preferwhite. y\\t flavor of freshly ground meal is best,