The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1913-06-26
UNCLE SAM STARTS
! IN BREAD BUSINESS
Has Selected a Woman to
II Teach the Fine Art of
Baking Il Nation.
BY SIDNEY ESPEY.

HI WASHINGTON, June 26.-Uncle
Sam has decided to go into the bread
baking business and as it is a matter
chat strictly concerns the home, he
has selected as his chief lieutenant a
woman. She is Miss Hannah L. Wess-
iing, who is employed in the Bureau
of Chemistry of the Department OF
Agriculture.
just now she is preparing a govern
ment bulletin which will tell budding
housewives the secret of bread baking
tfat will keep even the most wayward
,husband lingering around the dining
table. No more will it be necessary for
tyoung husbands to seek the advice
f6 physicians or resort to the nearest
fdrug store.
4 I Miss Wessling makes pretty pic
lt1Ire as she watches the thermometers
lin the big electric ovens which with
their glass doors, look more like china
closets, or moves along among the
rows of tubes, retorts and other lab
ratory paraphernalia in her white
apron.
What Her Duties Are.
Not only must Miss Wessling bake
bread, but she must also make a chem
ical analysis of the different samples
of wheat from which the flour is
made. This determines the various con-
stituents of the grains, as to the fat
the protein. the sugar and the mineral
matter Or ash. So while the ordinary
housewife concerns herself with only
the flour sitter and the rolling pin In
making bread, Miss Wessling must
tinker patiently with a chemical bal
ance which is so accurately adjusted
that 1t will weigh an eyelash or meas
ure fluids in a graduated tube which
will show the difference of drop.
The various samples of wheat come
to the department in the grain and to
insure uniform milling, miniature
flour mill has been installed in the
bureau. The color and granulation of
tho flour is considered, the latter
referring to whether the flour feels
soft or slightly granular, when pressed
between the hands. The absorption is
next considered, that is the amount
of water necessary to make the dough
of certain consistency. For the baker
this is an extremely important point,
since it enables him to calculate how
many loaves of bread he can get from
every barrel of flour.
In making the bakery test it is es-
sential to consider how the bread
shall be made for there are as many
ways of making bread as there are
housewives or bakers. A certain fixed
method must be adopted in this work
since all flours are to be compared
with one certain standard, and all
loaves must be made in exactly the
same way. The same weight of flour,
of yeast, of sugar and of salt are taken
for every loaf, the water being regulat-
ed by the requirements of the individ-
ual flours.
How Dough Is Made.
The dough is made in earthen crooks
covered and placed in sponge box
which is heated by electricity and
kept at an even temperature. The time
of fermentation on rising is the same
for all up to the point at which the
dough is nodded and placed in the
pans. At this stage a small portion is
weighed off and dropped into gradu-
ated cylinder, while the rest is nodded
and placed in it's respective pans. The
various pans are placed in the sponge
Dox, every one with it's corresponding
cylinder of dough by it's side These
are carefully watched and when one
of the latter indicates that it's dough
has risen to three times the original
volume, the corresponding pan is plac-
ed in the oven. Thus every loaf is Civ
en- its own time to develop and all are
OF approximately the same volume.
The different flours will produce
loaves of varying size and this is an
other point of Importance to the baker.