94 BACTERIA, YEASTS, AND MOLDS 



When perfectly fresh it does not show any sliminess, but 

 after standing a few hours the inside of the loaf appears 

 more or less moist, and shows a slimy texture when broken, 

 looking as if permeated with cobwebs. This trouble is 

 occasionally met with in the household, but more commonly 

 in bakeries. Indeed, sometimes sliminess has become so 

 troublesome in certain bake shops as nearly to ruin the 

 business, the trouble reappearing day after day and prov- 

 ing extremely difficult to remedy. 



The cause of the trouble is known to be the develop- 

 ment of certain bacteria, one species of which is shown in 

 Fig. 44. These bacteria are capable 

 of growing in the dough, and are 

 not killed during the baking. After 

 the bread is removed from the oven 

 they begin a rapid growth, if the 

 bread is kept warm, and in a few 

 hours produce the trouble de- 

 FiG.44. A species of bac ^^^j^^j These bacteria frequently 

 tenum which produces _ ^ -' 



slimy bread. come from the yeast, but in some 



cases, where the subject has been 

 studied in detail, it has appeared that the source is the 

 flour rather than the yeast. Certain samples of flour con- 

 tain these mischievous organisms, and when bread is made 

 from such flour it is difficult to avoid their presence and 

 growth. A change to a new brand of flour will then 

 obviate the trouble. If a housewife should experience 

 this slimy bread fermentation, the proper method of pro- 

 cedure is (i) to use a new brand of flour for bread mak- 

 ing, (2) to sterilize, by methods to be referred to later, 

 all utensils that are used in connection with bread making, 



