Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-07-18
4 LARGE BAKESHOP.
IT TURNS OUT TWENTY MILLION
LCAvss OF BREAD A YEAR.
Two Thousand Barrels of Flour Consumed
Each Wicklow Machinery Is Used In
Making Bread Army of Night Work
crs In the Big Brooklyn Concern.

Making Bread Army of Night Work
crs In the Big Brooklyn Concern.
The largest soft bread bakery III 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, pies, cakes and tho
almost endless variety of products Of the
average bakcShop are not made in this
establishment, which is located ut the cor
ner of Harrison avenue and Rutlcdgc
street.
Some idea of the magnitude OF the bust
ness can be had from the statement that
from its 80 ovens the product of !, 900 bar
rcls of flour is distributed each week in this
city, New York and the vicinity. This is
nj the rate of l04, GOO barrels per annum
and signifies the baking of 56. 600 loavcs oi
bread per day, 800 900 loaves per week.
l, 736, 600 per month and the enormous to-
tai of 20, 44O, 600 leaves every year
The employees of this establishment.
with the exception of few who kncad and
bake the ryo bread output are included in
whilc the average citizen is resting from
the labors Of the day. To partially 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 the casual passrrhy, hear
ing no noise, and seeing no evidence of
stir about tho premises, can form no AIDE
quato idea of the busy scene which takes
place nightly beneath his very feet, nor
can he conceive the appearance of the place
when the white aproned bakers are at
work.
The first relay of wcrkmen makes its APP
pcaranCe ut 3 O'Clock in the morning
These are the men who set the sponge for
the following night work. At $3.50 the
men who work exclusively on ryo bread
come on duty and remain until in the
afternoon. These two gangs constitute
the entire day force TO these men is dele
gated the duty of getting everything in
readiness for large force of bakers, who
mako their appearance at 8 p M, when
the real work of the establishment may be
said to begin. The flour, which will soon
como from the ovens in the various shapes
30 we'll known to the consumers, has been
Siftcd in the storcrooms overhead. Follow
ing this, it passes through the several
aerating machines and is sent below,
through several great chutcs, which lead
to various sections of the bakcShop floor
in the basement Here it is again put i'll
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 in long, deep wood
en- troughS, situated in localities convenient
to the work benches. Its transfer to and
from the mixers is one of the most inter
cSting details of the entire brcadmaking
process Every thrifty housewife knows
tho consistency of bread sponge but can,
with difficulty, realize that ii requires the
services of several stalwart men and n large
cart to carry the sponge of one baking
from the trough to tho machines. This
cart contains possibly 400 pounds of solid
unwicldy bread dough, which is dumped
into revolving Cylinucr the interior of
which has been treated precisely rs the
housewife treats her shining pans when
about to bake batch of bread When The
sponge Is once in the mixer, the various
ingredients, including milk, water and
salt, arc exactly and carefully added, and
the mass is allowed to stand for II few mo-
ments, when it is ready for the flour. Again
would the average housewife be astoniShCd
at the manner in which the flour is added
TO the sponge.
No scoop, dipprr pan or pail would
answer the requirements of this gigantic
sponge. Strong men pick up an open bar
rel and toss the entire contents into the
mixer Barrel after barrel follows in quick
succession until nearly 200 pounds have
been thus distributed. The machine is
started, and thus begins the first step in
the knCading process. As the cylinder
slowly rcvolvcs, the kneading being assist
I'd by iron arms which rcvolve inside the
chamber in opposite direction so that
the mixing may he more thoroughly and
quickly done, the head baker stands by to
stop the machine. AS soon as the dough
has reached consistency in which it can
DO taken out in great masses of from 80 to
100 pounds it is again loaded into the cart
and taken back to the troughs to raise.
A very interesting feature is the actual
kneading of the various shaped loaves,
their transfer to the ovens in a raw state
and their exit thcrefrom, brown, plump
huu giving buN d puHRSht anu pltaShh'
aroma.
When the dough has ''raised" sufficient
~, the busy time in bread making is at
hand At each work bench is stationed q
man who weighs the dough which makes
up each loaf The scales are unerring, and
the loaves consequently never vary In size
Each kind of bread has separate scale
and q separate crowd Of bakers, who have
become so proficient that where eight or
ten are working at one bench it is impos
Sble to distinguish one loaf from another,
either before or after leaving the oven.
The dough having reached oven proof, the
hand kneading and rolling process begins
Practiced hand, beat il and roll it, play
ing what may be likcned unto drum
chorus as they rapidly prepare it for the
oven. Every lover Of Mother Goose will
recall her admontion to the baker. Patty
cake! Patty cake! Bakers man. Roll it
and bake it rs fast as you can. surely
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 and
higher priced varieties which are baked on
the oven bottom The work progresses
from hour to hour and the same routine Is