Bread is a very complex substance. In addition to organic and inorganic
materials it contains three substances that show colloidal behavior: the
protein, the starch, and the cellulose. The amount of cellulose is quite
small, so that it probably plays a very minor role in bread making. The
part that different constituents of the flour play in the dough structure
has been discussed in the preceding pages. Their part in bread making
will not be repeated here, but the proportion of ingredients used, the
temperature for handling the dough and for baking, the fermentation, and
the importance of manipulation of the dough will be considered.
Chemical and physical tests may be performed on flour and dough, but
as yet the only final convincing proof of flour quality for making bread
is the baking test.
Temperature. Enzyme activity is very slow at low temperatures and
the enzymes are destroyed at high temperatures. Thus for optimum enzyme
activity and also for yeast growth in bread dough it is important to keep
the dough at definite temperatures.
PROPORTION OF INGREDIENTS USED IN BREAD 425
Fermentation is carried out over a wide range of temperature. The
evidence indicates that a low temperature is more desirable from the stand-
point of flavor and the development of acetylmethylcarbinol. But fermenta-
tion is more rapid at higher temperatures. Temperatures from 26° to
32°C. (79° to 90°F.) are used. There is more danger at higher tempera-
tures for growth of undesirable organisms which produce disagreeable
flavors.
Proportion of ingredients used in bread. The American Asso-
ciation of Cereal Chemists (A.A.C.C.) appointed a committee, headed
by Fitz, later by Blish and others, to find the proportion of ingredients
used by members of the association in test bakes, and to formulate a stand-
ard method of procedure and a definite formula for use by members of
the association.
Flour. It is customary in computing the percentage of ingredients used
in bread to take flour as 100 and compute the proportion of the other
ingredients in relation to it. Thus if 112 grams of flour are used and to
this is added 65 per cent of water, 72.8 grams of water would be used.
It requires about % pound of flour to produce a pound loaf of bread, though
the exact amount depends largely upon the hydration capacity of the gluten.
Yeast. Two types of commercial yeast may be purchased, the com-
pressed and the dry. A cake of compressed yeast contains many yeast plants
in an active state. When it is used the yeast plants multiply rapidly, pro-
ducing a large quantity of carbon dioxide gas, and the fermentation takes
place in a short time.
In dry yeast the yeast is mixed with corn meal and dried. The yeast
plants are not active, as they are in a dormant state and they are few in
number. The yeast needs to be soaked for a short time in warm water and
then made into a sponge to give time for the revival and growth of the
yeast plants. Therefore it requires a longer fermentation period than com-
pressed yeast.
Page 346
Presented as published in 1932. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
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Bread is a very complex substance. In addition to organic and inorganic
materials it contains three substances that show colloidal behavior: the
protein, the starch, and the cellulose. The amount of cellulose is quite
small, so that it probably plays a very minor role in bread making. The
part that different constituents of the flour play in the dough structure
has been discussed in the preceding pages. Their part in bread making
will not be repeated here, but the proportion of ingredients used, the
temperature for handling the dough and for baking, the fermentation, and
the importance of manipulation of the dough will be considered.
Chemical and physical tests may be performed on flour and dough, but
as yet the only final convincing proof of flour quality for making bread
is the baking test.
Temperature. Enzyme activity is very slow at low temperatures and
the enzymes are destroyed at high temperatures. Thus for optimum enzyme
activity and also for yeast growth in bread dough it is important to keep
the dough at definite temperatures.
PROPORTION OF INGREDIENTS USED IN BREAD 425
Fermentation is carried out over a wide range of temperature. The
evidence indicates that a low temperature is more desirable from the stand-
point of flavor and the development of acetylmethylcarbinol. But fermenta-
tion is more rapid at higher temperatures. Temperatures from 26° to
32°C. (79° to 90°F.) are used. There is more danger at higher tempera-
tures for growth of undesirable organisms which produce disagreeable
flavors.
Proportion of ingredients used in bread. The American Asso-
ciation of Cereal Chemists (A.A.C.C.) appointed a committee, headed
by Fitz, later by Blish and others, to find the proportion of ingredients
used by members of the association in test bakes, and to formulate a stand-
ard method of procedure and a definite formula for use by members of
the association.
Flour. It is customary in computing the percentage of ingredients used
in bread to take flour as 100 and compute the proportion of the other
ingredients in relation to it. Thus if 112 grams of flour are used and to
this is added 65 per cent of water, 72.8 grams of water would be used.
It requires about % pound of flour to produce a pound loaf of bread, though
the exact amount depends largely upon the hydration capacity of the gluten.
Yeast. Two types of commercial yeast may be purchased, the com-
pressed and the dry. A cake of compressed yeast contains many yeast plants
in an active state. When it is used the yeast plants multiply rapidly, pro-
ducing a large quantity of carbon dioxide gas, and the fermentation takes
place in a short time.
In dry yeast the yeast is mixed with corn meal and dried. The yeast
plants are not active, as they are in a dormant state and they are few in
number. The yeast needs to be soaked for a short time in warm water and
then made into a sponge to give time for the revival and growth of the
yeast plants. Therefore it requires a longer fermentation period than com-
pressed yeast.