Experimental cookery

Ropy bread. So-called rope in bread or ropy bread is caused by B. mesentericus, accidentally introduced into the bread through the flour or other means. The spores of this bacteria are not destroyed by baking the REFERENCES 439 bread. Two or three days after baking, and particularly during hot weather, the center of the loaf acquires a peculiar gummy, sometimes crumbly texture, which spreads to the edges of the loaf. The development of rope can be prevented by increasing the acidity of the bread. Thus the whey of sour milk can be used for the liquid in home baking or vinegar can be added. It has been reported that only about 1 per cent of vinegar is re- quired. Other suggestions are to have materials and flour bins scrupu- lously clean, to increase the amount of yeast, thus shortening the fermenta- tion period, to avoid low temperatures during fermentation, and to cool the baked loaf rapidly. LITERATURE CITED AND REFERENCES Alsberg, C. L. Studies upon Starch. Ind. Eng. Chem. 18: 190 (1926). Alsberg, C. L. Starch in Flour. Cereal Chem. 4: 485 (1927). Alsberg, C. L. The Role of Starch in Bread Making. A Comprehensive Survey of Starch Chemistry. Vol. I, p. 87. Compiled and edited by Robert P. Wal- ton. Chemical Catalog Co. (1928). Alsberg, C. L. Starch and Flour Quality. Wheat Studies of the Food Research Institute 11: 229 (1934-35). Alsberg, C. L., and Griffing, E. P. Effect of Fine Grinding upon Flour. Cereal Chem. 2: 325 (1925). Alsberg, C. L., and Griffing, E. P. The Heat Coagulation of Gluten. Cereal Chem. 4: 41 (1927). Alsberg, C. L., and Rash, O. S. On the Gelatinization by Heat of Wheat and Maize Starch. Cereal Chem. 1: 107 (1924). Analysis of Flour. Conn. Agri. Expt. Sta. Bull. 248, p. 401 (1923). Bailey, C. H. The Chemistry of Wheat Flour. The Chemical Catalog Co. (1925). Bailey, C. H., and Johnston, A. H. Carbon Dioxide Diffusion Ratio of Wheat Flour Doughs as a Measure of Fermentation Period. Cereal Chem. 1: 293 (1924). Bailey, C. H., and Le Vesconte, A. M. Physical Tests of Flour Quality with the Chopin Extensimeter. Cereal Chem. 1: 38 (1924). Bailey, C. H., and Sherwood, R. C. The March of Hydrogen-ion Concentration in Bread Doughs. Ind. Eng. Chem. 15: 624 (1923). Bailey, C. H., and Weigley, M. Loss of Carbon Dioxide from Doughs as an Index of Flour Strength. Ind. Eng. Chem. 14: 147 (1922). Bailey, C. H., and Sherwood, R. C. Biochemistry of Breadmaking. Ind. Eng. Chem. 27: 1426 (1935). Bailey, L. H. Report of Committee on Testing Rye Flours. Cereal Chem. 11: 409 (1934). Balls, A. K., and Hale, W. S. Proteolytic Enzymes of Flours. Cereal Chem. 13: 54 (1936). Blish, M. J. Report of Committee on Standardization of Experimental Baking Test. 1926-27. Cereal Chem. 4: 299 (1927). Blish, M. J. The Wheat Flour Proteins. Presentation of the Thomas Osborne Medal to Morris J. Blish by the Am. Assoc, of Cereal Chemists. Supple- ment to Cereal Chem. 13: No. 5 (1936). Blish, M. J., and Sandstedt, R. M. The Nature and Identity of Wheat Glutenin.