Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-06
Mechanical Bakeries for Our Army in France

made himself one of the strongest
characters Of our army in France. and
one of the most energetic and able,
we'll fitted for the high position to
which he has been called. His off,
GERS are very loyal. You discover
The immense buildings in which the
bakeries are housed were imported
from the United States. They are en-
tirely of steel and concrete, therefore
Along each side of the buildings
run two sets of railroad tracks. for
receiving. incoming and sending out
going shipments The tracks of the
former are on the natural ground
level. The cars run up beside the
doors. and the flour is dropped into
chute lined with metal. Along the
chute the bags slide to a metal con-
veyer The eonye eyer carries ear est, them m to
height of sixteen feet. Pliers and
conveyers handle forty tons per hour
each, and there are two of each in
each of the two buildings
This bakery consumes about 10000
pounds of -four each day, and the flour
for each days consumption is carried
on warehouse trucks from the cleo
trio pliers and conveyers to the
blenders, where the sacks are ripped
open at one end and the flour is
dumped in, various kinds together.
The blenders blend as many as six
different kinds of flour at one time.
and even If only one kind be passed
through them. it rs benefited nv the
treatment. From the blender it passes
by way of a flour elevator to an over
head sitter. which Sits the flour au-
tomatically and drops it into
weigher, where the exact amount for
each mix is automatically deposited
into a hopper. There are two of
these blenders in each building.
The hopper runs on overhead rails
to the mixers. There are three mix
ers in each group. and two groups
in each building From the hoppers
the -four is dropped. by opening a
valve. into the mixers, to the guam
tity of $50 pounds of flour for each
mix. About 40k gallons of water,
purified In pressure filters and meas
ured off automatically in tanks which
temper it to the proper degree, are
run into the mixer. along with the
$50 pounds Of -four. two pounds four
ounces of compressed yeast and about
four and a half pounds of salt. In
making the mix. if the yeast is weak,
it is often necessary to add sugar. but
this is not always done. A profess
sional baker judges yeast readily.
Sugar feeds" the yeast and gives
color to the bread.
Once mixed Gas we would say). the
dough is thoroughly kneaded by
rotary and stretching process which
to the other. the arms running in OPP
posite directions. To the professional
baker, mixing" and "kneading" are
very much the same thing. And he is
even more contrary: kneading takes
place in the mixer, but the process is
continued, both in the handler up and
the molder. What do you know about
that?
The dough is still being kneaded in
the mixer-do not let it get away from
us. We shall meet the hander-up and
molder later. When sufficiently
kneaded in the mixer it is dumped into
large wooden dough troughs mounted
on casters. They run over the con-
crete floors and stand in quiet place
in rows. Tile dough must ripen, or
(The professional baker has differ
ent word for most things) The yeast
works" in it during three hours.
Then the professional baker. judging
caused by The ferment has lightened
the dough throughout, gives his first
punch" to knock out" the super
f1uous or overweening gas.
About thirty minutes later the
dough is ready for it's second punch;
third punch perfects tall done
with the wooden paddle But, observe.
dough Is never punched by the clock.
and the times indicated are only APP
proximate Doughs are taken" Gin
professional jargon) at the bioloeica
moment. This. for the first punch Of
any mix. Is ascertained by the baker
tapping it. lightly with his finger and
looking closely to see whether or not
1t begins to fall after being tapped.
After the third punch the dough
trough il rolled to the diNider, q short
distance away. cut by knife into