[Sca-cooks] Commercial bread leavening

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

Stefan asked:

> Bear replied to me with:
> >Soda bread is a bread leavened with baking soda rather than yeast.
>
> I was going to ask whether this meant that most modern, commercial breads were soda breads, but then Admantius' comments make it clear that "soda bread" is actually a bit more specific than that. But this does raise a question. What is the rising agent in most commercial breads, the wonder bread and similar ones, not the artesian breads baked in your local deli? Are they using yeast or a chemical agent? For years I had assumed the latter, but now I'm wondering if it isn't yeast after all.
>

Commercial bread is leavened with yeast or sourdough or a combination of
the two. Baking soda/baking powder is more often used for breads that
don't require gluten formation, i.e., quick breads, muffins (which are
basically quick breads in cupcake tins), and the like.

Margaret