Making bread involves many ingredients and advance preparation
steps. Flour is received by bulk rail or truck and stored in
100,000 pound bins. All other raw materials are received by
truck. Two hours before production begins, a liquid sponge or
broth is prepared and allowed to ferment to ensure that the
finished loaf will rise properly. The broth is a blend of flour,
water, sugar, salt, yeast and yeast foods. To combine the
ingredients necessary for bread making, a scaler measures out
the smaller increments of the mix, some as little as one ounce.
A dough mixer operated by a control panel takes the ingredients
from the scaler and adds the larger increments to the mix to
create the proper dough consistency. This mixture can weigh
anywhere from 400 to 2,000 pounds. The dough is then 'kicked'
out of the mixer into a trough and allowed to 'relax' and
ferment. This is called floortime. Then it goes to a hopper and
is divided into loaf-sized pieces, then to the rounder for
shaping. Once again the dough is set asid