[Sca-cooks] Commercial bread leavening

[Terry Decker]

Most breads are leavened with yeast.  Chemical leavens don't generally
produce as fine a rise.  Breads made with chemical leavens have very
distinct tastes which some people find umpleasant.

Other than the quality of the ingredients, the primary difference between
commercial and artisan breads is that plain ole gummy white bread is
deliberately underbaked, while the artisan loaves are properly baked.

Bear


>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.
>
>>What specifically is "soda bread"? Bread for eating while drinking soft
>>drinks? One of the first breads made using baking soda?
>>
>>Stefan
>
>Stefan