466 Improved Mode of making Bread. 



on the worst new seconds flour I could procure. I have also made 

 some trials on seconds and firsts of different quality. In some 

 cases the results have been more striking and satisfactory than in 

 others — but in every instance the improvement of the bread, by 

 the carbonate of magnesia, has been obvious. It may be neces- 

 sary to remark, that, in all my experiments, a proper attention 

 was paid to all the circumstances connected with the accuracy of 

 the results. The materials were weighed and mixed together, 

 the dough was made up, and the bread baked, under my own in- 

 spection, 



*' The trials I have made have been necessarily on a small 

 scale } thev have been performed chiefly on quantities of flour not 

 exceeding a pound in weight. I shall state the results of a com- 

 parative trial on the worst new seconds I could get, with and 

 without the addition of the carbonate of magnesia. 



" I made five small loaves, each containing one pound of flour, 

 one hundred grains of common salt, and a large table-spoonfuU 

 of veast. The dough, in all of them, was made up with water at 

 the temperature of 100 deg. Faht. and exposed before the fire for 

 two hours at the temperature of 70 deg. to ferment. 

 The first loaf contained no other addition. 



The second 10 grains of carbonate of magnesia. 



The third 20 grains do do. 



The fourth 30 grains do do. 



The fifth 40 grains do do. 



*' After they had been all baked together in the same oven, the 

 loaves when cold were examined. 



*' The loaf without the carbonate of magnesia had fallen in the 

 oven ; it was like a cake, and was soft and clammy, and readily 

 adhered to the knife. 



" The loaf with the addition of ten grains of the carbonate of 

 magnesia was improved ; it had risen better than that which con- 

 tained none, but still the improvement was not very considerable. 

 " The loaf with t\venty grains was far superior to the one with 

 ten grains ; it was for the most part light and porous ; but still 

 there was a slight tendency to heaviness. The loaf with thirty 

 grains was still better than the one with twenty grains. But the 

 loaf with 40 grains wr.s uniformly light and spongy, of a more re- 

 gular textiae and better colour than any of the others. 



*' In all my experiments I have used the porter yeast, hut a 

 successful trial has been made with the new barm. I have never 

 made any secret of the foregoing facts, but have readily commu- 

 nicated them to a number of gentlemen, to whom I have shown 

 specimens of the bread made with, and without, the carbonate of 

 magnesia, and they have uniformly given their assent to this im- 

 provement, 



« I un- 



