56. PURPOSE OF BAKING.--The various processes in the making of bread
that have been considered up to this point may be successfully carried
out, but unless the baking, which is the last step, is properly done,
the bread is likely to be unpalatable and indigestible. Much attention
should therefore be given to this part of the work. So that the best
results may be obtained, it should be borne in mind that bread is baked
for the purpose of killing the ferment, rupturing the starch grains of
the flour so that they become digestible, fixing the air cells, and
forming a nicely flavored crust. During the process of baking, certain
changes take place in the loaf. The gluten that the dough contains is
hardened by the heat and remains in the shape of bubbles, which give the
bread a porous appearance; also, the starch contained in the dough is
cooked within the loaf, but the outside is first cooked and
then toasted.
57. OVEN TEMPERATURE FOR BAKING.--In baking bread, it is necessary first
to provide the oven with heat of the right temperature and of sufficient
strength to last throughout the baking. As is indicated in Fig. 4, the
usual oven temperature for successful bread baking is from 380 to 425
degrees Fahrenheit, but in both the first and the last part of the
baking the heat should be less than during the middle of it. An oven
thermometer or an oven gauge is a very good means of determining the
temperature of the oven. But if neither of these is available the heat
may be tested by placing in the oven a white cracker, a piece of white
paper, or a layer of flour spread on a shallow tin pan. If any one of
these becomes a light brown in 5 minutes, the oven is right to commence
baking. Every precaution should be taken to have the oven just right at
first, for if the bread is placed in an oven that is too hot the yeast
plant will be killed immediately and the rising consequently checked. Of
course, the bread will rise to some extent even if the yeast plant is
killed at once, for the carbon dioxide that the dough contains will
expand as it becomes heated and will force the loaf up; but bread baked
in this way is generally very unsatisfactory, because a hard crust forms
on the top and it must either burst or retard the rising of the loaf. If
the heat is not sufficient, the dough will continue to rise until the
air cells run together and cause large holes to form in the loaf. In an
oven that is just moderately hot, or has a temperature of about 400
degrees, the yeast plant will not be killed so quickly, the dough will
continue to rise for some time, and the crust of the bread should begin
to brown in about 15 minutes.
[Illustration: Fig. 14]
[Illustration: Fig. 15]
58. Fig. 14 illustrates a loaf of bread that has risen too much. The
inside texture is coarse and the shape of the loaf is not good. Fig. 15
shows the result of uneven temperature. The high side is caused by
exposure to more intense heat than the opposite side, and the crack is
the result of a too rapid formation of the crust. Sometimes it is
advisable to keep the crust from becoming hard too rapidly. In order to
do this, and at the same time produce a more even color, the top of the
loaf may be moistened by brushing it with milk before it is put into
the oven.
Fig. 16 shows a well-formed loaf of bread that has had the right amount
of rising, and Fig. 17 shows the inside texture of bread for which the
mixing, rising, and baking have been correctly done.
59. TIME FOR BAKING AND CARE OF BREAD IN OVEN.--The time required for
baking bread and the care it should receive in the oven are also
important matters to know. How long the bread should bake depends on the
size of the loaf. Under proper oven temperature, a small loaf, or one
made with 1 cupful of liquid, ought to bake in from 50 minutes to 1
hour, while a large loaf requires from 1-1/2 to 2 hours. As has been
explained, the loaf should begin to brown, or have its crust formed, in
about 15 minutes after it is placed in the oven, and the baking should
proceed rather slowly.
[Illustration: Fig. 16]
To get the best results in baking, the pans should be placed so that the
air in the oven will circulate freely around them. If they are so placed
that the loaves touch each other or the sides of the oven, the loaves
will rise unevenly and consequently will be unsightly in shape, like
those shown in Figs. 14 and 15. If the loaves rise higher on one side
than on the other, even when the pans are properly placed, it is evident
that the heat is greater in that place than in the other parts of the
oven and the loaves should therefore be changed to another position.
Proper care given to bread while baking will produce loaves that are an
even brown on the bottom, sides, and top and that shrink from the sides
of the pan.
[Illustration: Fig. 17]
60. CARE OF BREAD AFTER BAKING.--As soon as the bread has baked
sufficiently, take it from the oven, remove the loaves from the pans,
and place them to cool where the air may circulate freely around them. A
bread rack, or cake cooler, like the one on which the loaf rests in
Figs. 14, 15, and 16, is very satisfactory for this purpose, but if such
a device is not available, the loaves may be placed across the edges of
the empty pans so that nearly the entire surface is exposed. Whichever
plan is adopted, it should be remembered that the bread must be
carefully protected from dust and flies. Bread should never be permitted
to remain in the pans after it has been baked nor to cool on a flat
surface; neither should the loaves be wrapped while they are warm,
because the moisture will collect on the surface and the bread will not
keep so well.
After the loaves have become sufficiently cool, place them in the
receptacle in which they are to be kept. This should have been
previously washed and dried and then allowed to stand in the sunshine,
so as to be free from mold or any substance that will taint or otherwise
injure the bread. After the loaves have been put into it, keep it well
covered and allow no stale crumbs nor pieces of bread to collect. To
keep such a receptacle in good condition, it should be scalded and dried
every 2 or 3 days.