The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-31
A LOAF OF BREAD.
The Weight of the Loaf as Compared
With the Flour Used
From the Philadelphia Ledqer.


From the Philadelphia Ledger.
An English correspondent writes concern
ing the regulation of bread weight by law
as fsllows: "The baker buys his -four by
the sack of $50 pounds, and after adding
water, salt Snd yeast to it, there will be
from 420 to 40 pounds of dough, according
to the quality of the flour. For quartern
loaf this dough is weighed off in
pieces of pounds 6 ounces, the
odd ounces being found to be
the loss of moisture by baking. For half
a quartern loaf, half the weight of dough is
taken. l may add that some bakers allow
Tor s ounces for loss while baking, accord
ing to the shape of the loaf or length of
time the bread is in the oven. From an
extensive knowledge, | know this weighing
off the dough is most CAREFUL performed.
After this is done the loaves will not all
come out of the oven the same weight, 1t
takes some ten or fifteen minutes to fill the
oven, and nearly the same time to empty 1t,
and as the oven can have but one door, the
loaves that go in first are taken out last;
these having half an hours more baking
will necessarily be lighter than the others.
Again, one side of an oven will be hotter
than another, or the far end may be hotter
than the front; or if the baker nave fresh
flour it may dry out in baking more than
another kind. Again, in weighing off the
dough, however clever man may be, he
cannot cut of from the mass exactly
pounds and ounces, and the piece or pieces
he adds to make weight sometimes do not
adhere to the proper loaf and get moulded
or made up with the wrong loaf; so that if
one be light weight the other will be over
weight Now an important point It does
not follow that in purchasing a loaf of short
weight the buyer is defrauded, From the
few points [ have mentioned it is clear
there Is a. much nutriment in shortweight
loaf as in one of full weight; there is less
water. that is all. How moisture affects
the waight of bread | will show. Prof,
Richardson gives some experiments as to
how the moisture of the atmosphere affects
the weight of -four, aud tho ggh ne gives no
experiments as TO bread, it is self-evident
that a humid or dry atmosphere will affect
it, though admit not to the same extent. At
10 o'clock a. m, ON March 2S, 1880, samples
of -four were weighed. 'Oue weiged 90 6
pounds. At the same time next dav-the
flour had rot been moved or touched-this
sample weighed 5.S5 pounds. Another
sample during the same period rose from
102. ID pounds to 1917 pounds; another from
l00.0G pounds to 107 16 pounds. These same
samples gained daily in weight up
up to 10 O'Clock a. m, on March
s2S, when they weighed respectivel-
1922 pounds, 109.S0 pounds, and
1896 pounds The next day, March
%, at l o'clock, a change of weather
having occurred, they fell to 100.37 pounds,
90 pounds, and 101.S6 pounds respect
lively. The point l wish TO emphasize is
that these hours shows short weight bread
does not necessarily defraud the public, un-
less, of course, the short weight were ex-
cesSive.n
AMERICAN WEIGHT
In the barrels of -four sold here the usual
weight 1876 pounds makes about 21O pounds
Of dough. If it is poor flour it will take up
less water. The practice of bakers used to
be to add So to the cost of the barrel for the
labor and to devide the dough into the num-
Der of loaves necessary to repay that sum-
Either their loaves would be smaller, or the
same size sold for higher price, TO make
the fixed profit when flour rose in price.
The English correspondent owe quoted
goes on TO say: Some of the latest ma
chine introductions in the trade are those
for weighing to the utmost Meet these
pieces of dough for moulding into loaves.
These machines cost considerably over $500
each. Everywhere the baking trade is en-
deavoring, ard succeeding, too, in leaving
behind the old and unsuitable methods of
breadmaking; and at an enormous expense
to themselves the bakers are doing all they
can to secure that the public shall have the
best, the healthiest aud most nutritious
bread that can be made: and as an ilustra-
ton, there is within half milo of the
houses of parliament bakery which for
hygenic appliances aud for architectural
beauty is II surpassed in the world. This
bakery has cost nearly 100000 in building.
Nor is it a solitary example, for every day
all over the country new and extensive
bakeries, fittei with the most perfect APP
pliances that hygiene and science can sup
ply, are being erected. These altered con-
ditions necessitate the repeal of restrictive
ard injurious laws. The fixing of weight
by law has had the effect Of turning the
public miud from the question of quality
to that of quantity