The Portland daily press., 1895-08-17

| brings ouG Gne colof Detter than any other
test, and any other discrepancy in the new
flour is made more apparent. While mix
ing the expert gets knowledge of the
strength of the flour by pulling over
the dough-. Q. breaking it crosswise
and comparing its cohesive strength with
that of the standard grade.
Still another similar test is by the
doughing process. This is in use in large
baking establishments as we'll as in the
| laboratory of the flour mill By it the
strength of flour in gluten is established.
| Flour is mixed with water according to
certain established proportions. If the flour
requires more water than another brand
| it is a sure Indication it is that much
richer in gluten. And for the baker it is
the brand to be purchased, greater
number of pound loayes to the barrel be-
| ing possible. An instance; Spring wheat
is famous the world over for it's glutinous
qualities Compared with a barrel of
winter wheat flour from forty to sixty
pounds more of bread with the same nu-
tritive value per pound can be manufac-
tured from a barrel of spring wheat. The
reason is obvious. Gluten absorbs water
in proportion to it's strength. BY obser-
vation the tester is prepared to tell with
great exactness whether the standard of a
patent or bakers grade is being MAIN
tained in the amount of gluten it con-
tains simply by means of this doughing
process.
These tests would seem to be sufficient
to establish the facts, but they do not en-
tirely satisfy the tester What is known
as the baking process is resorted to as
safeguard to show that the flour is the
same after baking as before. The re-
ceipts advocated in the advertisements Of
the various mills are followed with the
greatest exactness SO that bread is baked
as others are advised to make it.
The yeast and -four are mixed together
and the dough is set away to ferment in a
| rising oven kept at an even temperature
throughout the day, summer and winter,
SO that the conditions of baking should
always be the same and the result should
bear out the conditions of -four, yeast,
etc. Bread in the testing room is set to
rise in dishes four or five inches in depth
and in circular form, the ware absorbing
the heat on all sides and warming the
dough evenly throughout
About four hours is required for this
part of the operation, and then follows
the baking process The loaf is put in
to an oven kept at an even temperature
| of 375 degrees, and is baked rapidly.
After comparison have been made the
miniature loaves are given away to de-
serving poor, record having been made
of the results.
| These tests have so far been perfectly
simple and by the time they have been
CONF pleted the tester is pretty well as
sured of the exact status of the run.
Next in order his knowledge of chemistry
becomes an important factor; especially
is this true when the new crop wheat is
being brought to market. The laboratory
feature consists in separating the gluten
and extracting the starch from other
chemical ingredients in both the flour
and the wheat for purposes of compari-
son. 1t is one of the frequently circu-
lated calamnies that spring wheat is los
ing it's glutinous qualities For that rea-
son the big millers up at Minneapolis
keep an accurate tabulated account of
tneir experiments to refute this SANDER.
Every autumn and fall they find out ex-
actly whether or not the wheat they are
purchasing is as good as that of the pre-
vlous year and whether the flour made
from it contains as much gluten.
| A drachm of -four is first placed on a
piece of fine bolting cloth, and the dis
titled water is blown through it by means
of the long hose connection. The starch
flows through with the water and the
gluten remains on the meshes of the bolt
ing cloth. To dry it out the gluten is
fdumped" on short, narrow strips of
glass and put in an oven, the double
walls of which are filled with water kept
at the boiling point by Bunson burner.
1t is left there for four days and at the
end of the time is weighed The exact
proportion of the straw colored gluten is
easily arrived at In spring wheat flour
it is from II to 13 per cent and in winter
wheat brands of the best grade from four
to eight per cent. When dried on the
glass strk p it is almost impossible to de-
tach the gluten, and in attempting Ia
separation many times pieces have been
taken out of the strip by it's strength.
The residue is largely starch, although
there are slight traces of other minerals
The results of all tests are kept in
records for the purpose. During the last
year some interesting results have been
brought to light by testers in Minneapo-
lis. Buda Pesth flour has reputation
world wide for general excellence
However an analysis shows that the mil
lers have no share in creating its fame,
for in general granulation it is much
coarser than the better American brands
and as a general thing it is not so we'll
milled Its principal characteristic is an
abundance of gluten from two to four per
cent more than is found in the Ameri-
can spring wheat grades. Kansas red
wheat brands of -four have been Iut upon
the market as something extraordinary,