ROMANCE OF BREAD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 248, 19 October 1937, Page 11

ROMANCE OF BREAD

BACK TO ANCIENT EGYPT FROM HAND TO ELECTRICITY NEW WANGANUI BAKERY ‘To-day we are truly in the midst of ancient and modern, the former being represented by bread baking and the latter by the use of electricity for the purpose,” said Mr F. W. Purnell, chairman of the WanganuiRangitikei Electric Power Board, speaking at. the official opening of the electric bakehouse erected in Wilson Street by Messrs Rennie’s Bakeries, Limited. “Bread baking was well understood by the ancient Egyptians. On the wall of the temple built in memory of Ramescs 111., who died over 3000 years ago, was found a painting depicting the whole process of bread making. Usually the Egyptians mixed ana kneeded the dough with the feet, only the Pharaoh and high officials being supplied by bread made by hand. A baker's oven and mill of the Roman period constructed about 2009 years ago was unearthed in Pompeii. Needless to say present-day methods of baking bread are intensely hygienic and we can assure you that Messrs Rennie do not mix and kneed the dough with the feet as in the days I have quoted. “The modern is represented by electricity. I will not take you back | to the time of Farraday and his wonderful discoveries. In the course of recent years this great boon to mankind has quickly revolutionised the work in the home, on the farm and in all kinds of industry. I can recall the first so-called demonstration of electricity in Wanganui. When still a schoolboy we saw by the newspaper that electricity would be produced by a traction, or some such engine, on a site near where the D.I.C. building now stands. We attended all excited. We heard much talk by the two demonstrators as to just how electric light could be produced. We saw no light. The demonstration was a complete black out. “The next demonstration was when still in our ’teens we had a couple of days’ holiday In Wellington in the days of the horse-drawn teams. We arrived by train late at night and not being overburdened financially we stayed at a very moderately-priced hotel. The rooms allotted to us were almost bare of furniture and we, as young men often do, started to criticise. Not even a sandle in the rooms. The landlady who had followed us upstairs, did something to the wall and on came the electric light, with the words, ‘There, what are you growling about.’ We were being educated! “And now, relatively a few years later, we have the baker’s electrical evens. There are five of them, each weighing 4 tons 3 cwt. Except for the thermostats, a very small portion, they were entirely constructed in the Dominion. Steam can be raised electrically for special makes of bread. The ovens can bake a batch of 1000 21b. loaves of bread, each batch taking about 80 minutes. A regular standard of heat can easily be maintained. There is no dust, dirt, o. smell and the operation of the controls is practically foolproof. “The cost of energy or firing Is fully competitive with all other agencies and moreover both breao and meat cooked by electricity are not sunject to the same amount of shrinkage as happens with other methods of cooking. This saving goes a long way towards paying for the cost of current. “Electricity has already played a great part in the industrial world and we believe that it is only a fraction as to what will be done in the near future.”