CHAPTER XII

YEAST BREAD

Yeast bread when well made is a food of which the palate never tires, and it is usually recognized as a part of every well-planned meal. The quick breads are a convenient substitute at times, but they are not the staff of life in the same sense, and are, on the whole, less widely used.

The making of a perfect loaf of bread is the goal of all those who aspire to excel in cookery; and the art of bread making requires not only a clear understanding of the underlying principles, but patience and persistence in experimentation and practice until a uniformly perfect product is achieved. The fact that in yeast we have a living organism with which to deal makes the whole process a delicate one, in which every detail is of importance, whether it be a matter of ingredients, proportions, methods of mixing, or temperature.

=The standard of good bread.=——There will always be some difference of opinion in regard to a desirable quality in bread, and individual preference will control the final result, whether the crumb of the bread shall be dry and porous or somewhat more moist and finer in grain. French bread is of the former type, the English preferring a close grain and solid loaf. Allowing for these differences, it is still possible to standardize bread, and to state in percentages the different points to be considered in judging a loaf.

We must consider the _size_ and _symmetry_ of the loaf, in order that the interior of the bread may be baked to the very center, without overbaking or burning the crust, and therefore very large loaves should be avoided. The _crust_ should be uniform in color, the shade ranging from a light golden to a darker brown, and the quality may be soft or crisp, but never tough. The _crumb_ should be light, the cavities evenly distributed throughout the loaf and of uniform size. It should also be elastic, tender, and yet not pasty, evenly baked without streaks and heavy portions near the crust, and the color should be creamy rather than a snowy white. (Fig. 55.)

The following score cards will be useful in judging loaves, and in the bread contests which are interesting and helpful.

BREAD SCORE CARD 1

I. General Appearance 15% 1. Shape 2.5% 2. Size 2.5% 3. Crust 10.0% (_a_) Color (_b_) Smoothness

II. Internal Appearance 55% 1. Depth of crust 10% 2. Texture (lightness) 15% 3. Crumb 30% (_a_) Moisture} Elasticity} (25%) (_b_) Color (5%)

III. Flavor 30% ———— 100%

BREAD SCORE CARD 2

I. External Appearance 20% 1. Shape 5% 2. Size 5% 3. Crust 10% (_a_) Color (_b_) Smoothness

II. Internal Factors 50% 1. Depth of crust 10% 2. Texture 20% 3. Crumb 20% (a) Moisture (15%) (b) Color (5%)

III. Flavor 30% ———— 100%

NOTE.——These two score cards are the average of the work of sixty students in judging bread in experimental cookery, Department of Foods and Cookery, Teachers College, Columbia University. See also Bulletin 25, University of Illinois.

=Digestibility and nutritive value.=——Bread of the standard described is readily digestible when at least twelve hours old and stands high in nutritive value. Figure 51 compares the composition of several varieties.

[Illustration: FIG. 51.——Composition of bread.]

Like the cereals, it has considerable protein, and some fat, but is highest in starch. The white bread, unless made with milk, has very little ash. A slice almost one inch thick weighing 1.38 ounces, from a baker’s five-cent loaf, will yield 100 Calories.

=The cost of bread.=——The table in