Celebrating an American inventor

 

 

There are many ways to leaven bread. One way is to incorporate whipped egg whites, such as is done in angel food and sponge cakes. However, this was difficult and time consuming before Willis Johnson patented the eggbeater on February 5, 1884.

Bread wasn’t always as easy to bake as it is now. Bread gets its airy structure by leavening: capturing gas bubbles in the elastic gluten of wheat.

Jennifer Bohnhoff writes historical and other novels for middle grade and older readers and is fascinated by quirky inventions.