AN IMPROVED PROCESS OF MAKING BREAD
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Adolphe Beque at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
December 1873.
I, ADOLPHE BEQUE, of Rouen, in the Department of the Seinc
Inférieure, in the Republic of France, Baker, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED PROCESS OF MAKING BREAD,"
to be as follows:-
Of all the salutary principles that it has long been sought to introduce
into the numerous processes of panification hitherto tried, that, the
employment of which has presented most difficulties, is undeniably sea
water. In fact cither in consequence of bad proportions in combining
the ingredients, or defective preparation either of the sea water or in
making the leaven, or it may be in the mixing of those two substances;
no bread has hitherto been produced uniting the qualities required for its
adoption in trade, and into the making of which sea water has entered.
I have endeavoured to solve this difficulty and I believe I have over-
come it.

page_text: pottery, or other suitable material exposed to the open air, it is afterwards
submitted to ebullition in order to free it from all the extraneous matters
which it may contain, and is then ready for use in the making of my
bread.
Preparation of the Leaven.-The peculiar nature of my new bread
demands a leaven of greater strength than that used in the usual
processes, into which it enters in equal quantity with the flour, while
according to my method it must be of greater weight than the flour, as
will be herein-after apparent.
I prepare my leaven thus:-My first leaven termed by bakers" 'young
leaven" is obtained by the aid of a certain quantity of flour termed
"first groats" (the weight of this quantity being proportioned to that of
the bread to be obtained), moistened with lukewarm or hot water,
according to the temperature of the season, and according to the con-
ditions of the climate in which the operation takes place, and the paste
thus formed is allowed to enter into fermentation. This fermentation
having attained the required degree after several hours rest, the paste
should then present the following aspects
The lump which is previously formed should be doubled in size; tho
shape of this lump of pasto should be convex, almost semi-spherical, and
present a perfectly smooth surface. It should resist and even repel the
pressure of the hand placed in contact with water; it should float on the
surface and still retain tenacity while always preserving its second form.
The odour exhaled by the paste should be of an agreable palatable
savour. Arrrived at this point the paste is submitted to a second
operation termed by bakers "wetting again the second leaven," which is
effected by renewing the first operation above described, taking care
however to increase the bulk by one-third, the paste will be kept less
stiff than that of the first leaven but it should be more worked.
"
Passing now to the third leaven termed "leaven of all qualities
("levain de tout point"), it must be taken into consideration that its
weight should in summer be equal to half the weight of the bread to be
obtained, while in winter it should be equal to two-thirds its weight.
The work is the same as in the first operation. This leaven should not
have a more acidulated taste than the dough of which the bread is to be
made, that is to say, it should be entirely devoid of all acidity.

page_text: The progressive mixing of the leaven with the sea water is first
effected, and then these two thus united are mixed with the flour.
1°. The manipulation begins by rolling or working the dough or paste
in the ordinary way, then instead of any counter rolling ("contre
fraser"), the dough is cut into small pieces which are thrown the one
over the other until it is dry enough to be sufficiently beaten to render it
more supple, and by this means make it assume more consistency. The
next process is the weighing, after which it is placed in layers, taking
care not to turn the dough as is usually done, but to bring it down flat-
wise, turning over each corner upon itself while nevertheless giving to it
the desired shape, in this manner no dry flour can enter into the inside
of the dough..
2°. The dough being in layers, heat should be introduced to a degrec
high enough to effect the raising of the dough, this preparation
terminated, that is to say, the dough being sufficiently raised, it is passed
to the oven to be baked, taking care to maintain a more moderate heat.
In conclusion I would observe that sea water possesses this further
quality, namely, that whatever the quantity of flour used, the dough
always becomes close and forms a bread of correct structure, that is to
say, without holes. Therefore given these various properties of sea water
I obtain a bread which keeps very fresh for some time, while preserving
an agreable taste as well as the other qualities above enumerated.