“A NEGLECTED FACTOR.”

Otago Witness, Issue 3757, 16 March 1926, Page 7

“A NEGLECTED FACTOR.”

SCIENTIFIC BAKING. EQUIPMENT AND YEAST. “A Neglected Factor,” was the title of a paper prepared by Mr Frank Withers (Melbourne) and read by Mr W. R. Andrews (Wellington), at the Bakers and Pastrycooks’ Conference on Thursday. He said that bakers differed from the majority of tradesmen in that several of the factors inseparable from the industry w'ere entirely beyond their control. As an example, a comparison with carpenters would show that the latter had three main factors —materials, tools, and craftsmanship. Their main material, timber, could be tested readily for use, and if below the required standard rejected. Tools, were governed by judgment and finance, while craftsmanship varied according to the ability of the individual. Under the heading of “Embarrassment of the Bakers,” Mr Withers wrote that bakers, contrariwise, could not determine, in the present state of technical development in Australia or New Zealand, whether their main ingredient, flour, was defective until the bread neared completion. -Only in rare instances where defects were manifested before use was rejection possible. In the majority of cases the secondary factor, yeast, was also practically beyond their control, either from lack of knowledge or inability to govern climatic conditions. The reference was to home brew'ed, not .compressed, yeast, and in many cases it was but seldom that weakness or disease in the yeast was recognised until the bread was drawn from the oven. And between the possibilities of shortcomings in flour and yeast, the baker lacking craftsmanship frequently proved an alibi in egard to his defects. “The miller carries the baby.”—lt was but fair to admit that the miller was blamed unjustly at times. Were the same scientific supervision which was generally accorded to milling operations, continued right through the process of bread manufacture, complaints regarding lack of quality of the ‘“staff of life” would be less common. The bakers could claim to have shown that two factors —flour and spontaneous yeast—were largely outside their control. There was a third and most important factor, which was all too frequently neglected, and it was that of temperature. Lack of knowledge and carelessness were at the root of many of the troubles in the bakeries of to-day. Quite a number of bakers did not realise that yeast was a plant. A moment's effort would suffice to recall that growth in plants was practically suspended during the winter, but was enhanced when warmth was applied. Tropical plants would survive in a hothouse when ice was over the surrounding landscape. Artificial heat was responsible for the difference, lhey should apply the lesson to yeast management during the dough stage, and many of the disabilities would be banished. Those with a knowledge of bakery conditions would scknowledge that even nowadays there was altogether too much guess work in connecton with bread manufacture. In the matter of correct temperature for yeast propagation there was a sad lack of knowledge, and too frequently an absence of the care which should be oxer-

cised. Realising the influence of temperature upon fermentation processes, America a most progressive bakers had introduced airtreating machinery. In winter t..e air was warmed and i. summer cooled, while in some places there were installations for securing the correct degree of humidity. would recall the influence of steam on the proving of buns and realise tho advantage of temperature control. A? far as the writers knowledge was concerned, there was no bakerv under the Southern Cross similarly equipnod, though i.i Dunedin there was a cordial factory which was recogn.sed as a model establishment by others in that industry, and it had the honour of pioneering the path of progress, in that sterilisation of air which entered me fermenting department was conducted. If it were beneficial to beer how much more so to bread, lie asked. Brewers had arranged long since for the regulation of temperature during the period of fermentation, but bakers had been laggards in that respect, due, no doubt, to the fact that the incessant call of the public for a cheap article had prevented legitimate expansion in the direction of improvement of equipment. Failin? ability to provide an even temperature right through the proving process. the next beet thing was to ensure a good start, and the onlv factor within tho control of those outside the automatic bakeries was the heat of the water used ip the doughs. Actually, there were tlirea divisions of heat at the doughinar stage—that of flour, the water, and of the air of a bakery. The first and laet were almost outside the control of the average baker, though the possessors of automatic plants were fortunate in that they could control temperatures during the proving stage in the tins. _ The hone for others, therefore, was to bring the dough temperature right and then keep the bakery open or closed according to the season. The speaker described a simple method of calculation hr which the right temperature might be judged. It could be stated safely that variations in bread quality were more frequently due to neglect of the heat factor in dough and yeast, than to anv other cause Hence, the title of the paper was justified in that douirh temperature was a neglected factor. After discussion, the conference accorded Mr Withers a hearty vote of thanks for his able paper.