e from flour
of average rather than maximum gluten content. But flours with low
gluten do not produce high-grade breads. When a flour contains more than
12 or 13 per cent of proteids, any increase does not necessarily mean
added bread-making value. The quality of the gluten, equally with the
amount, determines the value for bread-making purposes.

166. Unsoundness.--A flour with more than 14 per cent of moisture is
liable to become unsound. High acidity also is an indication of
unsoundness or of poor keeping qualities. The odor of a sample of flour
should always be carefully noted, for any suggestion of fermentation
sufficient to affect the odor renders the flour unsuited for making the
best bread. Any abnormal odor in flour is objectionable, as it is due to
contamination of some sort, and most frequently to fermentation changes.
A musty odor is always an indication of unsoundness. Some flours which
have but a slight suggestion of mustiness will, when baked into bread,
have it more pronounced; on the other hand, some odors are removed
during bread making. Flours may absorb odors because of being stored in
contaminated places or being shipped in cars in which oil or other
ill-smelling products with strong odors have previously been shipped.
Unsoundness is often due to faulty methods in handling, as well as to
poor wheat, or to lack of proper cleaning of the wheat or flour.

[Illustration: FIG. 43.--FUNGOUS GROWTH IN UNSOUND FLOUR.]

167. Comparative Baking Tests.--To determine the bread-making value of
a flour, comparative baking tests, as outlined in Experiment No. 29, are
made; the flour in question is thus compared as to bread-making value
with a flour of known baking quality. In making the baking tests, the
absorption of the flour, the way in which it responds in the doughing
process, and the general properties of the dough, are noted. The details
should be carried out with care, the comparison always being made with a
similar flour of known baking value, and the bread should be baked at
the same time and under the same conditions as the standard. The color
of the bread, the size and weight of the loaf, and its texture and odor,
are the principal characteristics to be noted.

[Illustration: FIG. 44.--COMPARATIVE BAKING TESTS.]

The quality of flour for bread-making purposes is not strictly
dependent upon any one factor, but appears to be the aggregate of a
number of desirable characteristics. The commercial grade