[Sca-cooks] Commercial bread leavening

[Alex Clark]

At 10:01 AM 2/12/2004 -0700, Stefan wrote:
>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.

According to _On Food and Cooking_ by McGee (1984, Collier Books), "In 
commercial baking, where time and work are money, mechanical dough 
developers can produce a "ripe" dough, with good aeration and an optimum 
gluten, in 4 minutes. Yeast is added to such doughs only as flavoring." (p. 
308)

Alex Clark (Henry of Maldon)