LESSON 30 AN IMPORTANT AND M0ST ACCEPTABLE FOOD

AN IMPORTANT AND M0ST ACCEPTABLE FOOD

It is hardly necessary to stress the importance of bread as an article of food. It is not only consumed in all countries of the world, but it is also the most acceptable form of food there.

Maurizio in his bock "Grain Foods" refers to bread as the emblem of the highest degree of culture, and gives an interesting account of tbe development of bread from the point of view of cultural history.

Now, wheat which furnishes the material for bread is grown all over the world. Depending on the degree of culture achieved, the form given to the food prepared from wheat also varies greatly. But history demonstrates that in any country which aims at cultural advancement, the final food form arrived at, Is bread.

It is in view of the foregoing that an account bas been attempted here of the plan for a cottage scale bakery.

There are many kinds of bread peculiar to the respective countries. For example, there are French, Russian, German. British and other bread, each of which has its own characteristics in materials, methods of making and tastes.

Bread is bound to become more popular throughout the world.

Raw Material For Bread

Wheat Flour

Wheat flour, the main raw material for bread may broadly be classified into high protein(protein over 11% , medium protein flour(protein 8-11%)and low protein flour (protein below 8%).

Flour which contains proteins when moistened and beaten , form gluten, which is elastic and so helps to hold the air and carbon dioxide in the mixture and make

it light. In bread making the gluten is developed by kneading to form a strong network which sets on baking. Different wheats have varying amounts of gluten but plain flour on the market can be used for bread making, cakes and biscuits.

Whole meal flour can be used for bread making but cakes and pastery will be

coal-se in texture dark in colour.

Generally speaking, high Protein flour is used as a base with medium and low protein floul mixed in appropriate amounts.

yeast

There are two kinds of yeast…raw and dry yeast. It is convenient to use

dry yeast because its handling is simple and its preservation easy.

It is important to remember that:

(a)approximately half as much dried yeast as fresh is required in any recipe.

(b) reconstitution is necessary before using dried yeast. This is done by soaking the yeast in lukewarm water (85℉) containing 1/2 oz sugar to 1/2 pint water the water and sugar used for reconstitution should be substracted from the quantities given in the recipe. Sugar can be omitted, but the proving is more necessary than with fresh yeast.

Yeast is a living plant which requires warmth(80-85"F), food and liquid

so that it can live and reproduce The Ingredients and utensils used in bread making and the atmosphere in which the bread is proved must, therefore, be lukewarm; sudden cooling hingers growth and anything hot will kill yeast before it has had time to multiply.

Other Materials

Carbon dioxide is produced in cookery in the following ways:…

(a) By using bicarbonate of soda with something containing acid, such as

cream of tartar, syrup or treacle, or sour milk in for example. ginger

bread and soda cake recipes;

(b) By adding baking powder this consists of an alkali and an acid, and

is capable of producing a certain amount of carbon dioxide. This is the

most accurate method of raising mixtures. All powders should be kept

in airtight jars or tins as they quickly deteriorate if allowed to become

damp.

As for water, there is no problem generally, if city water is available. However. in the case of drawing water from well, hard water is not desirable.

Water with 5-8 pH is best.

As for the materials for packaging, some countries are using polyethylene.

But many use wax paper or grease proof paper.

Process Description

The plant to manufacture breads involves the following sequence of operation;

l. Air Sifter with Pneumatic Conveyor

Flour should flow into the air sifter to be sifted and to eliminate obstructions and is conveyed to the hopper of the mixer by the pneumatic conveyor.

2. Mixing

Dough is made from flour and such materials as yeast. sugar, salt. jot, yeast food etc. This type of mixer has two steps of speed. low and high. For mass production, a high speed horizontal mixer will be suitable. The dough is fermented in the room for 2 to 4 hrs. and again mixed at this stage.

3. Dough Divider

Mixed dough Is weighed and cut by this machine.

4. Rounder

The weighed and cut dough pieces are carried by the conveyor belt of the dough divider and is rounded with this machine.

5. Proofer Machine

Rounded dough pieces are fermented in this machine under an ideal condition, and these are conveyed by a bucket conveyor to be fermented for about 15 minutes.

6. Moulding Machine

Fermented dough pieces are transferred by shooter and moulded by this machine.

7. Second Fermentation Room

Eased dough pieces on racks are carried into this room which has a temperature of 38-40℃ and humidity of 80-85℃ percent.

8. Oven

Fermented dough pieces are baked by this machine.

9. Cooling Conveyor

Baked products are conveyed by this machine and they are cooled during Conveying.

IO. Slicer & Wrapper

Cooled products are sliced and wrapped automatically.

Manufacturing Characteristics of Bread

Bread is products by making a dough from wheat flour and aerating this with carbon dioxide produced by yeast fermentation. Salt is included in the dough because it regulates the rate of fermentation, toughens the gluten, and prevents the bread from being insipid in taste.

The proportion of water need to make the dough varies with the nature of the flour but usually it is in the region of 15 gallons per 280 lbs. of flour.

The proportion of salt used also varies but it is common practice to use about 5 lbs. per 280 lbs. of flour.

The Proportion of yeast needed depends upon the proposed duration of the Fermentation and can be calculated approximately by dividing 12 by the number of hours that will elapse between the mixing of the dough and the placing of the dough in the oven.

The water need to make the dough is brought to a temperature that will give the finished dough a temperature of 75 to 80"F, the exact temperature required depending upon the proposed length of the fermentation. The necessary water temperature can be arrived at by substracting the temperature of the flour from twice the desired dough temperature.

When bread is to be made by what is known as the straight dough system, the required proportions of flour, yeast, salt, water and any other dough ingredients, such as fat, sugar, bread improvers, are mixed together until a homogeneous dough is obtained and this is then covered over and allowed to ferment in bulk. When about three quarters of the proposed bulk fermentation time has passed the dough is very thoroughly kneaded or 'Knocked back', so as to expel much of the gas and to tighten up the dough. It is then covered once more and allowed to complete its bulk fermentation.

At the completion of the bulk fermentation, the dough is divided into pieces

of the required weight, an operation known as ‘scaling’ and each of these pieces is moulded into a ball. After a short period in which they can recover from the action of the scaling and rounding up, the dough pieces are moulded into the shape required for the type of bread that is to be made.

These finally moulded dough pieces are placed in baking tins and allowed a

fermentation period, which is known as "final proof" so that they can become once more inflated with gas. since much of the old gas had been expelled during the moulding operation. The proving period normally occupies from 25 to 40 minutes. according to the type of bread being made.

At the end of this final proof the tins containing the dough pieces are placed in the oven and baked, The baking temperature is 450 to 500℉, and tbe baking time from 40 to 50 minutes.