Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-01-17
IN A BIG BAKERY.
AN iNQUlslTVE REPORTER SPENDS
ANlGHT WITH THE PROPRIETOR.

A Crowd Of Men, Women and Children
in Front Of New York Bread Making
Estabiishment-Manuf and Dis
tribution-sponge. Dough and Flour.
A disorderly crowd Of men. women and
children swayed in front Of bakery on
East Seyenty-fifth street the other after
noon. Nearly all carried covered baskets
on their arms. Occasionally a little fei-
low received blow over the head from
basket for crowding some one older than
himself
When questioned concerning the cause
Of the excitement the proprietor SAID: We
supply almost every restaurant in the city
with fresh baked bread. All that is left
over from tine preceding day etake back
and give II fresh loaf in exchange. When
Il is returned 70 the bakery we sell II to
these poor people at three cents a loaf IL
il real.> gijr~c wholesome than when fresh
from the oven and sold at eight cents a
loaf The stale bread is always IN de
mand. and We sometimes ~ec lively scenes
around here when the supply Is short.
The proprietor thea invited the reporter
~ spend night with him IA the bakery
He l.tl the WY through aisles II loaf bread
piled six feet high. There were all kinds
of bread Ia these piles from the long vi
emma and long French baseball bats TO the
chubby loaf Of rye.
We make thirty two different kinds
and STYLES Of bread, and ten different
styles II rolls, g" said he They are baked
in six hinge ovens, having a capacity Of
IL. 900 losyes an hour Our reel oven is
the largest and only one Of its kind in the
country. 1t Is two stories high and about
thirty feet square. 1t contains a large
turbine wheel, on which the kneaded
dough IL placed AS the wheel revolves
the bread remains upright. Twelve hun
dred loaves are baked in this huge oven
every forty five minutes
In the basement Of the bakery clouds Of
-four dust nearly choked the spectator.
The forms Of busy men, arrayed in white,
could be seen through it. Over the long
troughs the workmen were leaning dash
ing the -four to and fro, and mixing the
dry with the wet -four until all in the
trough was pure dough. Caldrons OF fer
ment stood ready to make stock yeast.
Sponge into dough was converted and the
loaf was ready TO bake.
After being baked the loaves were piled
in such a manner that they could be easily
counted by two men who began work at
9p IN and worked all night. These men
I'll the orders OF the drivers, who deliver
to the customers early in the morning
AT | p. IN. the men were re enforced
by ten more bakers The rapidity with
which -four was changed into dough was
surprising Barrel after barrel was turned
into the long troughs and quickly handed
over to the men at the oven, who took
charge Of it until it was ready for baking.
Each Of the forty men in the establish
ment works eleven hours only. Some
work during the day one week and At
night the following week. Bench men
are paid $l4 per week and oven men BIT
per week The place is never idle and
the fires are never drawn Nothing short
of an earthquake could check the current
OF the staff OF life which flows from the
bakery.
About forty-hve barrels of -four are
used daily The empty barrels are headed
up and sold to coopers for 20 cents apiece,
over ,, 800 loaves OF rye bread day
are baked here said the proprietor. 1T
took two years OF experimenting to pro-
duce the right favored rye bread, but to-
day we make the handsomest fifteen inch,
two pound loaf you ever laid your eyes
upon.
Do you supply families" asked the
writer
Not directly was the reply, ''Fami-
lies now buy their bread from grocery
stores, and we supply the grocer There
Is no money supplying families direct, and
the bakers who have tried it have fnied.
Our wagons carry from 800 to 800 loaves
trip which they deliver inside Of two
honr- It would take day and half to
deliver thai number nj private houses
What is Your head Yeast or fcrmentT'
asked the writer,
Head yeast is the source from which
ferlncut is obtained for making stock
yeast The ingredients of head yeast are
hops md malt and water and -four. These
are the only ingredients we use, although
some rrs porter and sugar instead of malt
Great care is taken in the making Of yeast
nm! none but the oldest and best glutin-
ous flour ought to be used Weak -four
womb produce feeble yeast, and unsatis-
factor bread would be the result.
stock yeast il SO called. he continued,
"bccattse il IL the stock or supply of yeast
used in making the sponge. 1t is simply
n COZ tnuation OF the fermeut. Potato fer
mcut Is also used by us. Its Ingredients
are nour, water, head yeast and potatoes.
The bread made with it will not dry out
rs quickly rs bread made with yeast.
Bread ordinarily weighs five sixtecn his
heavier than the flour it contains the ex-
cess being water.
The sponge is mixture Of flour,
water and fermenting substance Of some
kind When mixed with the dough it
fcrments tie eutire mass, rendering it
porous, >pongy and elastic. Sponge is
also made 10. t"St the fcrmcntng quality
of the yeast without using all the flour. 10
mako tho dough Vntl work the sponge with