Patent Flour

Patent flour is another name for self-rising/self-raising and is occasionally referred to as prepared flour in the 19th century. It was invented by a baker from Bristol, England named Henry Jones and patented in that country in 1845. A patent was issued in the United States on 1 May 1849. The flour came in varieties of wheat, buckwheat, Graham, and corn meal.

In 1853 the Transactions of the American Institute of the City of New York saw patent flour as "an important revolution in domestic economy, and add much to the health and comfort of all who use it." Bread made with it was considered to be light, sweet, and wholesome.

The earliest receipt that I could find in an American cookbook was the 1856 What I Know; or Hints on the Daily Duties of a Housekeeper. This book gives instructions on creating your own flour as well as receipts for its use.

In 1864 E.N. Horsford published his work The Army Ration, which sought to break down marching rations for the army. He considered the flour to be a better choice than regular wheat as it "would yield twice as many rations" for the same weight. He also gave instructions on how a soldier may bake his bread using two canteen halves:

August V. Kautz also suggested the use of the flour for the army; as well as the use of the canteen halves for baking "or even rolled up in wet paper or covered with leaves."

In Hardtack and Coffee, John Billings states that "towards the end of the war sutlers kept self-raising flour, which they sold in packages of a few pounds. This the men bought quite generally to make fritters and pancakes." William Ray of the 7th Wisconsin Infantry notes in his diary on 6 October 1864 that he "indulged a little today by the way of buying half package of flour. This flour is put up in 6lbs packages and cost $1.00 and all we have to do is to mix it up with water and bake it. Ben and I made a nice mess of cakes. The boys call it patent flour."
Although Horsford's obituary states that "Gen. Grant ordered right off 500,000 of the rations", it does not appear that the army adopted the use of the flour during the time of the Civil War, however the 1896 Manual for Army Cooks calls for its use.

 

The ease of using the flour made it ideal for expeditions and those engaged in mining.

Kautz noted that this type of flour was " well-known and highly prized in the mining districts of California..." An 1856 advertisement shows that the flour was being milled in that state.

In the History of the Big Bonanza dough was made up "in the same pans that are used in prospecting for gold" and then "two or three men, each with a frying pan, are at work baking slapjacks". Browne's food stores on his expedition to survey the West consisted of "bacon, beans, self-rising flour, sugar, and coffee."

Those in the living history community will find this flour very useful as it will eliminate the need for yeast which can be unpredictable, as well as reducing the amount of supplies needed. It can be purchased at any local grocery store or you may prepare your own by combining 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

The State Register, & Yearbook of Facts, 1857

 The Canteen, 1864

Ann Arbor Courier, 1884

The Druggist's General Receipt Book, 1863

Ballou's Monthly Magazine, 1877

Margaret Sim's Cookery, 1883

 

Bibliography:

-American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record. Edited by Caswell A. Mayo and Thomas J. Keenan. New York: American Druggist Publishing Company, 1893.

-"New Patent Flour". Ann Arbor Courier (Ann Arbor, MI), Feb. 1, 1884.

-"Queen Drops". Ballou's Monthly Magazine, 1877

-Beadle, John Hanson. Life in Utah. Philadelphia: National Publishing Company, 1870. 

-Beasley, Henry. The Druggist's General Receipt Book. Philadelphia: Lindsay and Blackiston, 1863.

-Billings, John. Hardtack and Coffee. Boston: George M. Smith and Company, 1888.

-Browne, J. Ross. Resources of the Pacific Slope. San Francisco: H.H. Bancroft and Company, 1869.

-The Canteen (Albany, NY), Feb. 23, 1864.

-De Quille, Dan. The Big Bonanza. Hartford, Connecticut: American Publishing Company, 1877.

-Draper, Robert E. Sacramento City and County Directory. Sacramento: H.S. Crocker and Company, 1868.

-Horsford, E.N. The Army Ration.New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1864.

-Kautz, August V. Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott and Company, 1864.

-The Lancet . Edited by Thomas Wakley. London: John Churchill, 1845.

-Manual for Army Cooks. United States War Department. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1896.

-Nicholson, Elizabeth. What I Know; or, Hints on the Daily Duties of a Housekeeper. Philadelphia: Willis P. Hazard, 1856.

-Sargent, Aaron Augustus. Brown and Dallison's Nevada, Grass Valley and Rough and Ready Directory. San Francisco: Town Talk Office, 1856.

-Sim, Margaret. Margaret Sim's Cookery. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1883.

-The State Register, and Yearbook of Facts. San Francisco: Langley and Mathews, 1857.

-Ray, William. Four Years with the Iron Brigade. Edited by Herdegen, Murphy. Cambridge, Ma: Da Capo Press, 2002.

-Transactions of the American Institute of the City of New York. Albany: C. Van Benthuysen, 1853.