The secret of holes in bread crumbs is explained by science

Yeast It is a mixture of microorganisms, especially yeasts. They were the ones who made the famous holes in the bread crumb… with the help of the baker. Because multiple steps and good talent are necessary to get it Well shaped bread. Firstly, dough : Gives the dough consistency, flexibility and resistance. After kneading, there is a first rest period: The result. The natural starch in the flour will then begin to break down into simpler sugars, such as glucose. The baker then divides his dough, weighs and shapes the loaves of bread before a second rest period to cut the dough: Primer.

Yeasts produce gas

At this stage, YeastsThose who love glucose eat it a lot! Thus, they reproduce and produce alcohol (we talk about alcoholic fermentation), especially Gas, Carbon Dioxide. Then gas bubbles form in the dough and cells appear… and that's it, the future crumb is there! the Carbon Dioxide, trying to escape, presses on the dough: it can triple in size during this step! Now it's time to get cooking. Under the influence of heat (250°C), yeasts produce more gas. As if that wasn't enough, the water in the dough boils and evaporates: it also grows on the dough to escape! The bread puffs up It browns, and during cooking it creates “holes”… and here you have it, out of the oven, bread with honeycomb crumbs surrounded by a crispy crust!

Sourdough or yeast for making bread?

Until the 19th century, bakers prepared their own food Fresh sourdough, whose cultivation is delicate. Today, they can buy it in liquid or solid form. Some people use another type of yeast instead, Wine yeastAnd he also said Bread yeast. However, this has nothing to do with bagged baking powder: the latter is not a living organism but a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and acid. It makes cakes rise well, but for baking, this is not a recipe!

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