THE DAILY LOAF

Evening Star, Issue 21620, 16 January 1934, Page 7

THE DAILY LOAF

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCT BLENDING OF FLOURS The opinion that a New Zealand loaf of bread compares more than favourably with an Australian loaf was expressed a few days ago by a member of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, but in any comparison between the two articles it should be pointed out that the New Zealand product is not truly native; the flour from which it is made is a blending of New Zea-land-grown wheat and wheat imported from either Australia or Canada. The domestic breadmaker, to be found practically only in the country districts, generally uses New_ Zealand flour, and turns out a loaf which has a food value equal, if not superior, to that of any other loaf, while skill in the making often results in bread with a very appetising appearance, but the city baker with his mechanical appliances is forced to use imported flour m varying quantities to produce the loaf of uniformly attractive appearance whfch the competitive market demands. “We would be only too pleased to use New Zealand flour entirely if wo could,” said the head of a big breadmaking firm when discussing the. matter with a Wellington ‘ Post Y reporter, “ but in order to secure the best results we have to use a certain amount of Australian or Canadian flour.”

VARYING WHEAT QUALITIES. He explained that wheat was of varying degrees of hardness, and the haxder the wheat the better for breadmaking purposes was the flour produced from it. The best wheat in this respect was Canadian, followed by Australian, and it was necessary to. blend a certain proportion of one or the other with the softer New Zealand product to make bread of the desired quality. Even in the different countries the wheat varied according to the districts in which it was grown, and according to the nature of the particular season. Many experiments, » both in the laboratory and in the fieldhad been made in New Zealand during recent years with a view to improving the dominion’s wheat, but-'the goal had- not yet been reached, and it appeared that the climate would be the deciding factor. Owing to the favourable treatment the wheat grower received from the Government it made breadmaking much more expensive to use imported flour, and naturally the bakers used no more than they had to, but the bakers felt that since they were compelled to use some Australian or Canadian flour it should be allowed to come into the country more cheaply than at present. Some New Zealand millers, particularly in the north, had gone so far as to mix Canadian wheat with New Zealand in their mills in order to improve the quality of their flour. UNIFORMITY REQUIRED.

When making bread by machinery it is important that the materials used should respond uniformly to the successive treatments they receive. If, for instance, four hours is allowed for the dough to become ready for the oven, complications will arise if some of the dough is ready after three and ahalf hours, or if it takes four and a-half hours or more. In the mixing of the dough, also, if purely New Zealand flour is used, the mixture is likely to be too sticky, and top much “dusting” with dry flour is required to prevent it adhering to the machinery when being kneaded. Finally, the all-New Zealand loaf, when it, leaves the oven, has neither externally the appearance of lightness, nor internally the open texture by which a loaf appeals to the buyer and consumer. Although from strictly a baking point of view it is necessary to blend New Zealand flour with certain proportions (varying from about a third to a half) of Canadian or Australian flour, it must not be thought that from a nutritional point of view this blending is necessary to counteract any deficiency of food value in New Zealand flour, and this aspect of the matter was made clear by a Wellington consulting chemist, Mr A. E. Aldridge. HIGH FOOD VALUE. “ The blending,” he said, “ brings about certain physical properties of value only to the baker, inasmuch as it enables the production of a loaf with a bold size and shape and a pleasing texture. The blending is not done to enable more water to be incorporated in the dough, as there is a maximum amount of water permitted in tKd finished loaf under our pure foods laws, the New Zealand standard being practically the same as that of other countries, The public also have an important say in this respect, as they will reject a loaf which is either too damp or too dry. ’ _ “ Despite the variation in the physical or baking properties of New Zealand flours, the values of loaves made from them equal those of the bread of other countries, namely, 1,100 to 1,200 calories per pound of bread'. Further, the-digestibility of the bread is as high—about 96 per cent. PALATABILITY IMPROVED. “ Since, however, the palatability of a loaf is dependent to a certain extent on its appearance, and as a greater benefit is likely to accrue if the bread is eaten with relish, the baker, in blending flours, is really aiding the more complete utilisation of the food values contained in the_ loaf. That the New Zealand baker is aware of the importance of food values is shown by the fact that he augments the natural richness of the bread by the addition of milk.”

Mr Aldridge said that in acting as tfie consultant of one of the largest bakeries in New Zealand, he had had the opportunity of determining very completely the quality of New Zealand bread. The tests were not only chemical, but included animal feeding experiments, and the information gleaned from many tests of the flour, yeast, milk, etc., showed that our bread, because of its intrinsic qualities and its low cost, might well be the foundation of a healthy diet which should include such foods as meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, and dairy products. Bread was important because it furnished the necessary bodily heat and energy in easily digestible form, and because it was the most economical source of those elements.