The earliest processing of cereal grains was probably drying roasting or parching of the grains.
Taste, texture and digestibility were then improved by cooking whole or broken grains in water, creating gruel or porridge. It was a simple step to the baking of an emulsified porridge on a hot surface and resulting in primitive flat bread. The Mexican tortilla is made of processed corn, and the Indian chapati which is generally made from wheat are two more varieties of bread that is flat. Baking techniques have improved since the introduction of a baking utensil that was enclosed as well as ovens, which allowed for thicker breads, cakes, or cakes. The phenomenon of fermentation that results in the shrinking of the loaf’s shape and development of appealing flavours, was probably first noticed when doughs or gruels, held for several hours prior to baking, developed degradation caused by yeasts. Some of the consequences of the microbiologically induced changes were perceived as desirable, and a gradual gain of control over the process led to traditional ways of making leavened bread loaves. Early baked products were made from mixed seeds, with a predominance of barley, however, wheat flour because of its ability to withstand fermentation, eventually became the primary cereal of the various cultural groups capable of advancing in the art of cooking to create leavened bread. Brewing and baking were closely related in the early days of civilisation. A thick gruel could be fermented into dough that’s suitable for baking. But, a light mash can produce a beer. Both of these methods require knowledge of the “mysteries of fermentation” as well as access to grains. The baking and brewing trades artisans were taught that wheat is the best for baking, while barley is the best choice for brewing. The Egyptians were the first to make the first time that leavening was used around 2600 BCE. They used methods which are similar to those used today. They had a supply of sour dough, a simple cultivation of beneficial fermentation organisms, and utilized portions of this dough to inoculate fresh doughs. With doughs made by mixing flour, water, salt and leaven, the Egyptian baking industry developed more than 50 kinds of bread, with varying shape and using flavouring materials as poppy seed, sesame, and camphor. The bread found in tombs are smaller and coarser than the modern bread. The Egyptians created the first ovens. The first known examples are cylindrical vessels made of baked Nile clay. The clay is tapered at the top to create an oval shape, then divided within by a horizontal shelf-like partition. The lower part of the vessel is called the firebox, while the upper section is the baking chamber. Through a hole in the top, the dough was placed into the baking chamber. Baking remained a domestic skill during the two to three centuries following the founding of Rome. There were a few advancements in the equipment or processing methods. According to Pliny the Elder the historian, there were no bakers in Rome until the middle of the 2nd century bce. Women wanting to bake bread quickly and efficiently began to use professional bakers. They were generally slaves. The bread was made by hand and weighed around 1 pound. It was baked in an oven that was fired by wood. Panis artopticius was a type that was cooked over a spit panis testuatis baked in an earthen vessel. While Roman professional bakers had technological breakthroughs, they were mostly not significant and mostly introduced earlier innovations. Marcus Vergilius, sometimes spelled Virgilius, Eurysaces was the first to create a mechanical dough mixer. He made use of a large stone basin and wooden paddles, which were powered by a donkey or horse walking in circles. The paddles worked the leaven, flour and the water mix. Guilds that were formed by miller-bakers of Rome were institutionalized. They were organized under the Flavians to form a “college”, with guidelines for work, and rules set by the government. The trade eventually became obligatory and it was passed down from generation to generation, and the baker became a civil servant with limited freedom of action. The advancements in baking technology in earlier centuries vanished in the early Middle Ages. Bakers returned to the mechanical tools of the early Egyptians or to less modern methods. In the second half of the Middle Ages, the institution of guilds was revived. The completion of a number of years of apprenticeship was needed before a person could be accepted into the guild. generally, an intermediate level of status as journeyman intervened between apprenticeship and full membership (master). The growth of bakers’ guilds showed significant technological advances. The 13th century French writer named 20 varieties of bread, varying in shape the bread’s shape, flavorings, cooking method and the quality of the meal used. The quality and size of the bread were restricted by guild rules. In the absence of cities, bread was made in the kitchen of the family. The principal ingredient in breads for the poor was rye that was typically diluted with other cereals as well as leguminous seed meal. It was only in 1865 that white bread be cheaper than brown bread. The advancement in technology at the time resulted in rapid advances in the baking process. Ingredients that were more pure and superior functional qualities were developed, along with equipment that reduced the requirement for individual skill and the need for the hand-handling of doughs for bread. Batch processing was replaced with continuous processes that automated shaping, mixing the dough, shaping, fermentation and char broil grill (http://myeverything.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=coms.fqn.comm.unity.moe%2FpunBB%2Fprofile.php%3Fid%3D2061662) baking. In the mid 20th century, we saw the development of bread-making as well as other bakery products that contain minerals and vitamins.
