ART OF BREADMAKING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 June 1938, Page 4

ART OF BREADMAKING

POINTS FOR HOUSEWIVES. r To make a practice of baking the i household supply of bread when any number from one to a hundred bakers’ carts pass the door daily only adds one unnecessary duty to the housewife's already very full list. On the other hand (writes the Cookery Expert of The Australian Journal) it would be a pity to allow baking with yeast to become one of the lost arts, for, served just once in a while as a change, the home-made loaf or yeast bun makes a very strong appeal to the appetite. Really good home-baked bread is unsurpassed for its golden crust,' its tender crumb, and for a flavour that reminds one of the wheat grain itself, nor need the making of it be a laborious process if the baking is regulated to fit into the schedule of household duties without upsetting the whole day. The ingredients required are only three—yeast, flour and water. Others may be added to vary the flavour or quality of the loaf, but these are not absolutely essential. Salt is usually added to give flavour, and sugar not only gives flavour and colour, but assists fermentation as well. Any ordinary breads can be made with water, but many cooks prefer to use milk, which not only adds to the nutritive value of the loaf, but gives a better texture. Water in which pared potatoes have been cooked, used alone or with another liquid, accelerates fermentation also, and tends to keep the finished bread moist. A small amount of shortening gives a finer crumb and improves the quality of the crust, but care must be taken only to use a small quantity, as fat has a tendency to interfere somewhat with the action of the yeast.

Yeast is a microscopic one-celled plant which multiplies rapidly under proper conditions, requiring for its growth moisture, air, food, and a favourable temperature. Its principal foods are sugar or starch, which is convertible into sugar, protein substances found in flour and certain mineral salts. During the growth the yeast breaks up the sugar present into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. This fermentation causes the dough to rise, and later, during the process of baking, the gases are expelled from the loaf.