The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1858-01-26
MECHANICAL BAKERY.

x '
which is in everybody's mouth, as its re-
suits soon will be. By the kindness of the
superintendent, we are able to give the fol-
lowing particulars
We went on the fourth floor to see the
first operation in bread making in this
establishment. The -four is run through
sitter. to rid it Of Jumps and foreign sub
stances. 1t is then carried by elevators"
to the hopper above the kneading machine.
This machine kneads batch of ten barrels
of four in less than twenty minutes, and
more thoroughly than dough is kneaded
by the human hand. The cleanliness of
the operation will commend itself to all OBJ
servers, in comparison with hand-kneading
in ordinary bakeries. Hot and cold water
tanks are supplied through filter.
THIRD SToRY.-The dough is discharg
ed from the kneading machine into "prov-
ing troughs'' on the third floor. These
| troughs are set on casters, and, by the aid
of the hosting machine. are taken to any
part of the building where the temperature
raised, the dough is again put into the
| 'kneading machine" and undergoes a
slight second kneading, for the purpose of
| refining tan important process, which is
practised elsewhere only by the best bread
makers in private families. When duly
refined by the second kneading, the dough
passes into the upright zinc cylinder of the
loaf cutter, by which it is divided into
leaves of uniform weight, according to ad-
iustment. A self acting register on the
loaf cutter records the number of loaves it
delivers, up to one million. This "tell-tale"
keeps check upon the work in every de-
partment of the establishment. The cyln-
der Of the loaf is sunk through the
third floor, and delivers the loaves on the
second floor, from the zinc roller which
performs the operation of scaling" and
cutting the leaves.
SECOND SToRY.-As the Jumps of dough
| come from the loaf cutter on the second
floor they fall upon an endless apron, that
| travels over long table, around which the
workmen stand and "round up" as the
operation of forming the loa. es for a slight
second ''proof," or rising. is called. When
the loaves are so formed, they are put in
proving boxes" where they remain
short time they are then shaped as desir-
ed. and made ready for baking.
FIRST AND SECOND SToRIEs.-The
ovens, of which there are two in this estab
lishment, are upright; they have their
foundations ard heating furnaces in the
basement, and their doors in the first and
second stories. The dough is put into and
the bread discharged from them on both
these floors, when in full operation. The
baking cars. the bottoms of which are of
fire brick tiles, loaded on the first floor,
ascend through the oven, and discharge
the baked bread on the second floor, and
the cars loaded on the second floor descend
and discharge on the first floor. Each oven
contains twentysix cars, thirteen of which
are ascending and thirteen descending at
the same time. Each car passes through the
oven in thirty minutes, when baking COM
mon sized loves, but the speed is regulated
quired for baking. The capacity of one
''bakng car" is sixty loaves, weighing
about pound and half each. The tenn
perature of the oven is uniform, and is
maintained at any degree of heat necessary
by elf-adjusting hampers. Thermome-
tiers in the oven indicate the temperature
to the attendants. The leaves are all
baked precisely alike, and never either
burned or under done. The heat in the
automatic oven differs entirely from that of
the ordinary bakers oven. 1t is hot air,
radiated from brick, like that of the old
fashioned farm-hO oven and no smoke,
ashes, or other impurities, can enter the
chamber of the oven. It is a mistake to
suppose that .'steam'' has anything to do
with the baking; it is used only for driving
the m machinery and heating water. The
temperature for baking in the automatic oven
is more than one hundred degrees higher
than can be used in the Common bakers
oven without burning the bread to Gin
der, because the hot air in a chamber with
out draft is mild and penetrating, and not
raw and scorching, like the heat in the
ordinary oven, where the fire is inside of
the oven itself, and acts directly upon
the bread while baking, besides submitting
it to the impurities of smoke, dust &c.
Tie oven being upright, with carloads of
bread in it, one above another, and having
no draft through it, all the alcoholic vapor
arising from the fermented dough is saved,
while in the common oven it is lost by
escaping with the smoke, &c., up the
chimney. This vaper is driven off from
the bread at an advanced stage of the bak-
ing process, and there being No outlet for
its escape, it is condensed in the form of
fixed oil, by contact with the cold dough
subsequently introduced. which absorbs it,
whereby the bread is improved in flavor,
and its nourishing proprieties sensibly in
creased. This is fact recently establish
ed. There is particular odor given to
the bread by this oil, which is observable