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little published work available to show that the problems have been 

 tackled for. a scientific purpose, or for improvement of the process. 

 Indeed, there has been no stimulus for the chemist, since, in the bakery 

 the ability of a master baker to feel, taste and smell the ingredients 

 is a more sure guide in the production of good bread than the know- 

 ledge obtained by use of test tubes and balance. 



It will be observed that the two points of view, that of the producer 

 and that of the consumer, are largely but not entirely sympathetic. 

 The former, whether the small hand-baker or large manufacturer, 

 demands the greatest yield from his ingredients, and the most attractive - 

 looking product, but really is not greatly concerned about the flavour, 

 provided he can sell his bread. The result is the exhibition loaf 

 of perfect proportion, if somewhat insipid, or the water-laden and 

 profitable loaf, both the outcome of scientific treatment. All the 

 consumer asks to-day is that his bread shall be palatable, and be 

 made in a cleanly manner and cheap, whilst he is not greatly interested 

 in the amount of water present in his loaf. Such a loaf, to suit the 

 consumer, can generally be assured by the hand-baker. It is therefore 

 rather in the economic direction that any considerable amount of 

 work has been done by the bakery chemist, who himself is only just 

 beginning to realise the variety and complexity of the problems 

 underljdng the art. That he will, at a near date, assume supreme 

 importance in the bakery, especially in the large machine or automatic 

 bakery, is certain, but the time is not yet, for he does not know enough 

 and, above all, the master baker is well aware of the fact. It is easy 

 to analyse all the ingredients in use in the bakery, but it is less easy 

 to determine how a combination of these ingredients will turn out 

 as bread, since the mutual influence of one complex upon another 

 is not known with any degree of certainty. 



It is unfortunate also that so many technologists, having acquired 

 a smattering of chemistry, pose as scientific experts, with the result 

 that conflicting opinions, arising from the interpretation of inaccurate 

 results, have injured the prestige of the chemist. On the other hand, 

 the chemists have not been free from the fault of suppl5dng, from a 

 laboratory, advice which clearly indicates that they do not know the 

 elements of bread-making. 



Briefly put (for it must be assumed that the elementary principles 

 of bread making are understood by the reader), bread is made from 

 flour, yeast, water and salt, with occasionally milk, fat, malt extract, 

 yeast salts, wheat germ, aerating chemicals, &c., according to the 

 quality of bread required, English bread, farmhouse bread, milk 

 bread, germ bread, malt bread, tin loaves, Viennese rolls, French 

 rolls, &c. 



With the addition of any new ingredient over the first four 

 mentioned, fresh complications in the chemical changes during bread- 

 making are introduced. Added to these must be considered the 

 changes involved during fermentation and baking, and, one of the 

 largest problems of all, during the change from freshness to staleness 

 which the loaf undergoes with the passage of time. With the use 

 of flour, yeast, water and salt alone, a mixing of dough, and the 

 subsequent loaf, are of sufficient complexity, involving the saturation 



