24 



this way, the fine particles of flour are separated from one another. The 

 tougher and more elastic the gluten, the better the dough will rise, 

 and the lighter the bread will be. This is where good gluten is valuable. 



Take a slice of bread and examine it carefully. Notice the little 

 openings or holes in it. These little holes were formed by the gas being 

 held in by the gluten as just described. If too much yeast is added to 

 the flour, too much g-as will form, and the openings will be very large, 

 or the gas may even spread out the gluten so far that the walls of the 

 bubbles will break. If the gluten is all or partly removed from the 

 flour, the dough will not rise, because there is nothing to keep the gas 

 in, and we shall have a loaf like that shown in Fig. 28 and 29. 



After the yeast has worked enough, the dough is put into a hot oven. 

 Here the heat kills the yeast and causes the gas to expand and stretch 

 out the walls of the little bubbles, or pockets, which it formed between 

 the particles of dough, and changes some of the water into steam, thus 

 raisinof the loaf still more. The heat on the outside of the loaf converts 

 some of the starch into dextrin^ a gummy substance with a sweetish 

 taste. This is why the crust is sweeter and tougher than the centre of 

 the loaf. The harder the loaf is baked, the darker the color, through the 

 changing of some of this dextrin into caramel, which is a form of sugar. 

 Some bakers moisten the top of the loaf with water, or water containing 

 a little sugar, to develop caramel, and to give the loaf a darker and richer 

 color. Both dextrin and caramel are soluble in water ; and, therefore, 

 they are easily digested. This explains why the crust of bread andtoast 

 are sweeter than the soft interior of the loaf, and also why they are more 

 easily digested. 



