HURRYING UP THE DOUGH

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3066, 30 April 1917, Page 6

HURRYING UP THE DOUGH

SCIENCE AND DAY BAKING-:. An interesting example of the way in which scientific researoh may simplify industrial problems is furnished by the progress results of the experiments which are being made by Dr. H. G. Chapman at the- Sydney Technical College- on tho cultivation of yeasts and their utilisation in .bread-making. The results of these investigations, which aro being conducted under a grant from tho Commonwealth Advisory Council of Science and Industry, appear likely to have an important bearing on the solution of the day and night baking trouble. The investigations are being carried out', primarily with the object of discovering "races" of yeasts which will' produce more rapid ripening of doughs in the manufacture of bread, and already Dr. Chapman has succeeded in reducing the time of the dough in the trough from eight to five hours. This has been done by improving the fermenting power of the yeast and not by increasing tho quantity used. The ability to ferment at ' any particular rate does not appear now to be a property of the cells of each "race" of yoast, but can be changed readily by suitable culture through successive ' generations. Dr. Chapman expects to diminish still further the time of rijjening, and , is now experimenting with tour-hour doughs. An official of tho Operative Bakers' Association, Sydney, states that he thinks that the results obtained by Dr. Chapman will be most valuable, and that they will contribute materially, to the solution of the labour difficuties that have recently come before the public in connection with the baking trade; On tho other hand, certain master bakers express the opinion that doughs ripening in ' less than eight hours are too fast, and that sour bread is likely to result from the men not being: in a position to handle each dough as soon as it is ready. At the Sydney Technical College, with a fivehour's dough, bread has been made easily between 9. a.m. and 6 p.m.