| Size of Loaf | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat flour, 14 ounces | 22½ × 17½ | 18.75 |
| Wheat flour, 10% wheat starch | 23½ × 17 | 18.25 |
| Wheat flour, 12.2% wheat starch | 21½ × 17 | 18.00 |
| Wheat flour, 210 grams, about 8 ounces | 12¾ × 9 | 12.00 |
| Wheat flour, 10% gluten added, 210 grams | 12½ × 9 | 12.75 |
| Wheat flour, 20% gluten added | 12 × 8¾ | 13.00 |
So long as the quality of the gluten is not destroyed, the addition of a small amount of either starch or gluten to flour does not affect the size of the loaf, but removal of the gluten affects the moisture content and physical properties of the bread. The addition of starch to flour has the same effect upon the bread as the use of low gluten flour,—lessening the capacity of the flour to absorb water and producing a dryer bread of poorer quality.
185. Composition of Bread.—The composition of bread depends primarily upon that of the flour from which it was made. If milk and butter (or lard) are used in making the dough, as is commonly the case, their nutrients are, of course, added to those of the flour; but when only water and flour are used, the nutrients of the bread are simply those of the flour. In either case the amount of nutrients in the bread is smaller than in the same weight of flour, because a considerable part of the water or milk used in making the dough is present in the bread after baking; that is, a pound of bread contains less of any of the nutrients than a pound of the flour from which the bread was made, because the proportion of water in the bread is greater. The following table shows how the composition of flour compares with that of bread, the different kinds of bread all having been made from the flour with which they are compared:
Composition of Flour, and Bread Made from it in Different Ways
| Material | Water | Protein | Fat | C.H. | Ash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | |
| Flour | 10.11 | 12.47 | 0.86 | 76.09 | 0.47 |
| Bread from flour and water | 36.12 | 9.46 | 0.40 | 53.70 | 0.32 |
| Bread from flour, water, and lard | 37.70 | 9.27 | 1.02 | 51.70 | 0.31 |
| Bread from flour and skim milk | 36.02 | 10.57 | 0.48 | 52.63 | 0.30 |
Thus it may be seen that the proportion of water is larger and of each nutrient smaller in bread than in flour, and that the nutrients of the flour are increased by those in the materials added in making the bread.
It is apparent that two breads of the same lot of flour may differ, according to the method used in making, and also that two loaves of bread made by exactly the same process but from different lots of flour, even when of the same grade or brand, do not necessarily have the same composition, because of possible variation in the flours. In bread made from flour of low gluten content, the per cent of protein is correspondingly low.
186. Use of Skim Milk and Lard in Bread Making.—When flours low in gluten are used, skim milk may be employed advantageously in making the bread, to increase the protein content. Tests show that such bread contains about 1 per cent more protein than that made with water. Ordinarily there is no gain from a nutritive point of view in adding an excessive amount of lard or other shortening, as it tends to widen the nutritive ratio.
187. Influence of Warm and Cold Flours on Bread Making.—When flour is stored in a cold closet or storeroom, it is not in condition to produce a good quality of bread until it has been warmed to a temperature of about 70° F. Cold flour checks the fermentation process, and is occasionally the cause of poor bread. On the other hand, when flour is too warm (98° F.) the influence upon fermentation is unfavorable. Heating of flour does not affect the bread-making value, provided the flour is not heated above 158° F. and is subsequently cooled to a temperature of 70° F. Wheat flour contains naturally a number of ferment substances, some of which are destroyed by the action of heat. The natural ferments, or enzymes, of flour appear to take a part in bread making, imparting characteristic odors and flavors to the product.
