EXPERIMENTAL MILLING AND BAKING. 
23 
the water contained in the dough is lost during baking, but there is a 
fairly well-defined relationship between the weight of the resultant 
loaf and the water absorption of the flour. 
For ordinary flours, the total quantity of water added previous 
to kneading is 180 cubic centimeters, which includes the 150 cubic 
centimeters in the salt solution and the 30 cubic centimeters in the 
yeast mixture. The addition of more water is usually necessary 
during kneading to give the dough a proper consistency. Occa- 
sionally, a flour is found in which the 180 cubic centimeters of water 
in the salt and yeast solution is more than enough to give the dough 
its proper consistency. When this occurs, care is taken that a smaller 
quantitv of water is used in making up the sponge in the duplicate 
test. 
In calculating the percentage of water absorption, no account is 
taken of the natural moisture content of the flour. The percentage 
a 
Loaf volume 2,620 cubic centimeters. Loaf volume 1,670 cubic centimeters 
Fig. 20.— Differences in volume of loaf made from the same quantity of flour. 
of water absorption represents the weight relationship of the water 
absorbed to the 340 grams of flour used in the test. 
SIGNIFICANCE OF FACTORS DENOTING QUALITY. 
LOAF VOLUME. 
When the dough is allowed to ferment to the point where the loaf 
of greatest size possible is produced, the loaf volume, if uniform 
quantities of flour, yeast, salt, and sugar are used, may be considered 
an expression of the relative strength of the flour. It is not desirable 
to allow the fermentation of dough to proceed to the maximum point 
of expansion in commercial or household baking, but flour which 
will yield large loaves under this test will make bread of good quality 
and texture when baked in the usual way, and it will stand more 
neglect during the process of bread-making as well. Large loaf 
volume when associated with good texture is a desirable quality. 
Figure 20 shows two loaves of bread made from the same quantity 
of flour showing a difference of over 1,000 cubic centimeters in loaf 
