essential to the development of a well-raised
bread. There’s evidence that some fatty
materials can help stabilize the dough bubble
walls as they expand and prevent premature
rupture and collapse. Others become attached
to starch granules and help soften the bread
structure and slow staling. Similar ingredients
added by the cook or manufacturer can
magnify these useful effects (p. 524).
Enzymes Since the flour’s normal endowment
of sugars is enough to feed yeast cells for only
a short period of time, flour manufacturers
have long supplemented the ground wheat
with malted wheat or barley: grains that have
been allowed to sprout and develop the
enzymes that break down starch to sugars.
Because malt flours give a dark cast to flours
and doughs, and because their activity is
somewhat variable, manufacturers are
increasingly replacing them with enzymes
extracted and purified from microscopic