486 



BREAD 



mado to perform 50 revolutions alternately from right to left. Frasage is the first 

 mixture of the flour with the water. The flour is simply poured into the kneading- 

 trough, or, better still, when convenience permits it, it is let down from a room above 

 through a linen hose, which may be shut by folding it up at the extremity. 



Three-fourths only of the flour should at first be put into the trough ; the first re- 

 volutions of the kneader should be rather rapid, but during the remainder of the 

 operation the turning should be at the rate of two or three revolutions a minute, 

 according to the density of the dough to bo prepared. The dough thereby having 

 time to be well drawn out between the blades, and to drop to the bottom of the trough. 

 From 24 to 36 revolutions of the crank will generally bo sufficient ; but in order to 

 obtain the dough in the condition which the frasage would give it in the usual way, it 

 will be necessary to make about 250 revolutions of the crank alternately from right 

 to left, about the same number of turns. 



Contrefrasage is the completion of the process of mixing ; and, in order to perform 

 that operation, the last fourth part of the flour must now be added, the crank turned 

 150 revolutions, to wit, 75 turns rather slowly, alternately from right to left, and the 

 remainder at the rate of speed above mentioned. 



The operation of Soufflage consists in introducing and retaining air in the paste. 

 To effect this, the kneader should be made to perform, during nearly the whole time 

 occupied in the operation, an almost continuous motion backwards and forwards, by 

 which means the dough is shifted from place to. place ; five revolutions being made to 

 the right, and five to the left, alternately, taking care to accelerate the speed a littlo 

 at the moment of reversing the direction of the revolving blades. 



All these operations are accomplished in twenty or twenty-five minutes. 



Of course, the reader should not imagine that these numbers must be strictly 

 followed, they are given merely as a guide indicative of the modus operandi. 



The kneading being completed, the dough is left to rest for some time, and then 

 divided into lumps, of a proper weight, for each. loaf. The workman takes one of 

 these lumps in each hand, rolls them out, dusts them over with a little flour, and puts 

 each of them separate in its panneton ; ho proceeds with the rest of the dough in the 

 same manner, and leaves all the lumps to swell, which, if the flour hava been of good 

 quality, will take place at a uniform rate. They are then fit for baking, which opera- 

 tion will bo described presently. 



Another kneading trough, said to be very effectual, is that for which Mr. Edwin 

 Clayton obtained a patent in August 1830. It consists of a rotatory kneading 

 trough, or rather barrel, mounted in bearings with a hollow axle, and of an interior 

 frame of cast iron mado to revolve by a solid axle which passes through the hollow 

 one ; in the frame there are cutters diagonally placed for kneading the dough. The 

 revolving frame and its barrel are made to turn in contrary directions, so as greatly 

 to save time and equalise the operation. This double action represents kneading 

 by the two hands, in which the dough is inverted from time to time, torn asunder, 

 and reunited in every different form. The mechanism will be readily understood 

 from the following description : 



Fiff. 221 exhibits a front elevation of a rotatory kneading trough, constructed 



221 



according to improvements specified by tho patentee, the barrel being shown in sec- 

 tion ; a is the barrel, into which tho several ingredients, consisting of flour, water, and 

 yeast, are put, which barrel is mounted in tho frame-work b, with hollow axles c and 

 d, which hollow axles turn in suitable bearings at e; /is the revolving frame which 

 is mounted in the interior of the barrel a, by axles g and h. The ends of this revolv- 

 ing frame are fastened or braced together by means of the oblique cutters or braces 

 i, which act upon tho dough when the machine is put in motion, and thus cause tho 

 operation of kneading. 

 Either the barrel may bo mado to revolve without the rotatory frame, or the rota- 



