n some cases the very reverse is true. Californian
and Australian wheats have occasionally aromatic odours, due to the
presence of certain seeds, that will impart an objectionable flavour to
the resultant bread.

While the essential character of particular wheats will account for a
good deal of the flavour that may be detected in the bread made from
them, the baking process must also be responsible to some extent for
flavour. The temperature of the oven and the degree of fermentation must
be factors in the question. It has been asserted that the same flour
will bake into bread of very different flavour according as the
fermentation is carried out slowly or quickly, or as the oven is hot or
the reverse. A high temperature seems to have the effect of quickly
drawing out the subtle essences which go to give flavour to the bread,
but it is a question whether they are not subsequently rapidly
volatilized and partially or wholly lost. The rapid formation of a solid
crust is no doubt likely to retain some of these flavouring essences. A
moist, or "slack," sponge, or dough, appears distinctly favourable to
the retention of flavour, the theory being that under such conditions
the yeast, having more room to "breathe," works more easily, and is
therefore less likely to convert into food those soluble constituents of
the flour which give flavour.

Colour of flour.

The colour of flour is a valuable, though not an infallible, index to
its baking qualities. Thus, a flour of good colour, by which bakers mean
a flour of bright appearance, white, but not a dull dead white, will
usually bake into a loaf of good appearance. At the same time, a flour
of pronounced white tint may bake into a dirty grey loaf. This has been
particularly noted in the case of flours milled in Argentina. The colour
of flour will vary from a rich, creamy white to a dull grey, according
to its quality. The different shades are many and various, but the
prevailing tints are comparatively few. Perhaps Blandy's classification
of the colours as white, yellow, red, brown and grey is as serviceable
as any. Each of these tints is directly caused by the presence of
certain substances. White denotes the presence of a considerable
proportion of starch, while a pronounced yellow tint proclaims gluten of
more or less good quality. Red and brown are tints only found in flours
of low grade, because they are sure proofs of an undue proportion of
branny or fibrous particle