A REVOLUTION IN BREADMAKING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2312, 20 November 1914, Page 7

A REVOLUTION IN BREADMAKING

N.Z. AUTOMATIC BAKERIES, LTD,

Baking methods which enltail constant handling and fingering are to-day . recognised as being out-of-date, and contrary to the principles of hygione. Enlightened opinion demands a modern and efficient system, wheh will eliminate all risks :f contamination, and produce not only good but absolutely clean bread. §.uck a system is now in operation in 'the huge brick and concrete buildinj erected in Taranaki Street by tho N.Z. Automatic Bakeries, Ltd. In the matter of equipment this new bakery is 6aid to have no 6uperior anywhere. The plant is of the very loltest pattern, ' constructed and erected by the leading firm in its line— Joseph Baker and Sons, Willesdon Junction, near London. Every process in the evolution of tho loaf follows automatically. Ingenious machinery does the work. Man merely superintends. He touches levers, pulls chains, watches guages, and regulates speeds. What a contrast to the cramped, dingy bakehouse that served our fathers!

A liberal education in the science of making "the staff of life" is-provided by a walk through the various departments of tiie Autommtio Bakeries, under the guidance of Mr. W. A. Kellow, the managing director, and a practical • baker of forty years' experience. Starting from the top of tho scrupulously clean and brilliantly-lighted building, and passing down from floor to floor,-one's astonishment increases at the sight of the contents of a bag of flour being steadily transformed into loaves of a beautiful texture, and a crisp, brown crust. Perhaps a fow details of the various stages of this transformation will be of interest.

The flour as it comes from tho miller ia conveyed by electric hoist to the top floor. Over 1000 tons can be stored. Hera tho sifting and blending operations are carred through at the raite of one ton every five minutes. The housewife who thinks that flour in the bag is perfectly clean will have her eyes opened in this section. So searching is the refining process that when the flour is carried by tho endless chain of buckets ;to ithe hopper it is freo of every particle of dust and the smallest strand of string. The mouth of tho great hopper, which holds six tons of flour at a time, pierces the floor and opens ovor the mixing machine in the flat below. The man at tho mixer pulls a chain and watches an automatic weighing machine. Down conies the flour from tho hopper, and the mixer gets to work. It can put through one ton of flour in five minutes. Fast a? the dough is ready it is emptied into grealt troughs, each with a capacity of ono ton. These troughs are on wheels, and so well balanced that they can be moved about as easily as a perambulator. -Emptied from tho troughs tho mixture passes down to the jioxjt floor, whero tho dividing machine weighs it out ill 21b. lumps, moulds it into circular form, and drops it into pockets at tiro amazing 6peed of forty-four a minute. These moulds ascend to tho ' Prover, which is near Ithe roof. (To "prove dough is to give it time to rise.) Coming down from tho "prover" in fours it is transferred to a second "prover" in sixes. This is performed by a simple, clever contrivance, wlich would take too long to describe. Aftsr the second "proving" tho lump is fashioned into the familiar-ob-long shape, dropped automatically into a tin, and placed on racks for a final "proving" of forty minutes. Tho tins are then fed into a lingo oven, measuring sixty feet long by twonty feet wide. The journey through the oven occupies thirty-five minutes. As the tins slip out at the other end they are emptied and sent down a narrow track of steel rollers to bo refilled. Tho finished loaves are quickly transferred to cupboards, from which they aro removed to handsome motor vans, and speedily carried to the retailer. "Kellow" bread, as this automatioallybaked loaf 'is named, has been on tIM market, only a sHort time, biilt the management states that, already the demand is large and widespread, and that every [lay sees an increase in orders.- Associated with Mr. A. AV. Kellow in this enterprise of tho N.Z. Automaltic Bakeries, Ltd., are Mr. W. >1. nannay, asTchainnan of directors, and Messrs. J.. A7iliiii'nier arid O S.-Watkins. Tho socretai'.v.of'tlici coin-' pany is Mr. J. S. Burn. .77 7,