[Sca-cooks] Another leavening agent was Baker of Bagels in the 11th C
Terry Decker
t.d.decker at att.net
Tue Mar 31 20:37:46 PDT 2009
>
> http://slurpandburp.blogspot.com/2006/01/imbb-22-lamian-chinese-stretched.html
>
> This is a fairly lengthy blog diary on northern Chinese pulled noodles,
> containing something of an argument between readers/posters on whether
> they do, or should, contain a small amount of borax, and why.
>
> The consensus among the people that think it belongs in those noodles
> seems to be that in noodles, it's about gluten extensibility, which,
> given the high gluten flour traditionally used for bagels, could be said
> to make some sense.
>
> Adamantius
I knew I had seen information on water hardness and gluten formation. There
is an entire section in Paula Figoni's How Baking Works.
According to Figoni, minerals harden gluten, making the strands so elastic
that they don't stretch properly to trap the CO2 in fermentation. The
higher the gluten content, the worse the problem. When you reduce the water
hardness, you reduce the spring back in the gluten strands and allow them to
properly extend.
The most common minerals in hard water are calcium and magnesium. Borax
will react with calcium and magnesium in solution neutralizing the effect on
the gluten (I suspect the minerals will precipitate out and become part of
the solid matrix, but I haven't researched that). Interestingly, desert
regions often have hard water. Northern China, North Africa, the Middle
East?
There is also a pH factor involved, calcium carbonate being on the acidic
end of the scale and borax being basic, but that's a little different from
the issue of hardness.
Next time I'm in NM, I'll try adding a little baking soda to the mix to see
if I can get a better rise.
Bear
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