Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-07-15
A LARGE BAKESHOP.
IT TURNS OUT TWENTY MILLION
LOAvES OF BREAD A YEAR.
Two Thousand Barrels NJ Flour Consumed
Each week-How Machinery IL Used In
Making Bread-An Army Of Night Work.
ers In the Big Brooklyn Concern.

| ers In the Big Brooklyn Concern.
| The largest soft bread bakery In the
world is located in Belfast, while the
| next most extensive plant Of the kind
is located In Brooklyn. What is meant by
the term "soft" bread bakery is that moth
ing but bread Is baked on the premises.
Crackers, sea biscuits, pics, cakes and The
almost endless variety of products Of ths
average bakeshop are not made In this
establishment, which is located at the cor.
ner of Harrison avenue and Rutlcdge
street.
Some idea of the magnitude of the bust.
ness can be had from the statement that
from its 40 ovens the product Of 2, 900 bar.
rels of -four is distributed each week In thi.
city, New York and the vicinity. This is
at the rate Of I04, 600 barrels per annum
and signifies the baking OF SO, 600 loaves Of
bread per day, 392, 600 loaves per week,
1,736, 600 per month and the enormous to-
tai Of 20, 440, 600 loaves every year.
The employees of this establishment
with the exception of a few who knead and
bake the rye bread output, arc included in
the great army of night workers, who toll
while the average citizen Is resting from
tic EiJDrS III tnc uiiy- ~ puTlluiiy supply
tho million of people who do not make
their own bread, but who depend upon the
baker for the staff Of life, over 800 people
are employed IN the various departments.
So quietly and systematically is the work
performed that tho casual passerby, hear
ing no noise, and seeing no evidence Of
stir about the premises, can form no adc
quate idea Of the busy scene which takes
rlrnn nightly hnti,.nth hts foot
can no conceive the APPEARANCE Of the place
when the white aproned bakers are ut
work.
Tho first relay Of workmcn makes its ap-
pcarancc at 3 o'clock in the morning.
These are tho mon who set tho sponge for
the following nights work. At 8 80 tho
men who work exclusively on rye bread
come on duty and remain until in tho
afternoon These two gangs constitute
the entire day force. To these men is dole
gated the duty of getting everything In
readiness for large force Of bakers, who
make their appearance 1t 6 p. IN, when
the real work OF the establishment may he
said to begin. The flour, which will soon
como from the ovens in tho various shapes
SO well known to tho consumers, has been
siftcd In the storcrooms overhead. Follow
ing this, 1t passes through the several
acratirg machines and Is sent below,
through several great chutcs, which lead
to various sections of the bakcshop floor
in the basement. Hero it is again put in
barrels, where it is left to settle and cool
until it reaches the proper condition to be
run through the mixing machines.
The sponge which has been set during
the day, is distributed i'll long, deep wood
en- troughs, situated in localities convenient
to the work benches. Its transfer TO and
from the mixers is ono of the most inter
csting details Of the entire brcadmaking
process. Every thrifty housewife knows
the consistency of bread sponge but can,
with difficulty realize that 1t requires the
services of several stalwart mon and large
cart TO carry the sponge of one baking
from the trough to the machines This
cart contains possibly 500 pounds of solid,
unwieldy bread dough, which is dumped
into revolving cylinder, the interior of
which has been treated precisely as the
housewife treats her shining pans when
about to bake n batch of bread. When the
sponge is once in the mixer, the various
ingredients, including milk water and
salt, are exactly and carefully added, and
the mass is allowed to stand for few mo-
ments, when 1t is ready for the flour. Again
would the average housewife be astonished
at the manner in which the flour is added
to the sponge.
No scoop, dipper, pan or pail would
answer the requirements of this gigantic
sponge. Strong mon pick up an open bar
rel and toss the entire contents into the
mixer. Barrel after barrel follows in quick
succession until nearly 1900 pounds have
been thus distributed The machine is
GfnrtaI r,H hup h. in,
the kneading process. As the cylinder
slowly revolves the kneadng being assist
cd by iron arms which rcvolve inside tho
chamber In opposite direction so that
the mixing may be moro thoroughly and
quickly done, tho head baker stards by to
stop the machine. As soon as the dough
has reached u consistency in which ii can
be taken out in great masses of from so to
100 pounds 1t is again loaded into the cart
and taken back to the troughs to raise.
A very interesting feature is the actual
kncading Of the various shaped loavcs,
their transfer to the ovens In u raw stato
and their exit thcrcfrom, brown, plump
and giving ont pungcnt and pleasant
aroma
When the dough has raised sufficient
ly tho busy time In bread making is at
hind. At each work bench is statiOritda
man who weighs the dough which fnakcs
up each loaf. The scales arc uncrrlnR, and
tho loaves consequently never vary in.slz
Each Kind of bread has separate scale
and separate crowd of bakers, who have
become so proficient that where eight or
ten are working nj one bench 1t Is impos-
sibe to distinguish one loaf from another,
either before OF after leaving the oven.
The dough having reached oven proof, the
hand kncading and rolling process begins,
Practiced hands beat it and roll II, play
Ing what may be lfkencd unto drum
chorus as they rapidly prepare 1t for tho
oven. Every lover OF Mother Goose VIII
recall her admontion to the baker PATTY
cakei Patty cake Bakers man. Roll IL
and bake it rs fast as you can. Suriy
this old woman of blessed memory must
have mastered the secret of breadmaking
Much of the bread is baked in pans, YET
there are several of the popular shaped ana
higher priced varieties which are baked on
th' oven bottom. The work progresses
from hour to hour and the same routine y
repeated with never failing precision until
the towering piles of bread admonish tho