Baked food is a convenient food made of flour, yeast, salt, sugar and water as basic raw materials, and added with appropriate amount of oil, dairy products, eggs and additives. And baked by a series of complicated technical means. It is not only nutritious, but also varied, beautiful in appearance and good in palatability. It can be used as a snack before or after meals, as a staple food and a gift.
Compared with ancient times, modern baking technology has undergone earth-shaking changes. According to historical records, the pioneers who laid the foundation of modern baking industry were the ancient Egyptians.
The Egyptians first discovered and used fermentation to make baked goods-bread. At that time, the ancient Egyptians already knew how to make all kinds of food from grains.
For example, mashed wheat flour is mixed with water, potatoes and salt to make dough, and then baked in a kiln. Probably some dough left over at that time, naturally using wild yeast in the air to produce fermentation. When people use these leftover fermented dough to make food, they are surprised to find that they get soft and elastic bread.
At first, the oven used by the Egyptians was a round oven made of clay. The upper part of the oven was opened to keep the air circulating, and the bottom was lit. When the temperature in the furnace reaches a fairly high level, the fire is extinguished and the ashes are removed. Put the prepared dough into the bottom of the oven and cook with the waste heat of the oven. The bread baked in this oven is pure in flavor and rich in aroma, which is very popular with consumers, and this technology has been passed down to this day.
Baked food later spread to Greece. The Greeks changed the furnace into a circular arch. While increasing the internal volume, the pores in the upper part became smaller, which made the furnace better insulated. The Greeks not only improved the oven, but also greatly improved the production technology. They added milk, cream, cheese and honey to the product, which greatly improved the quality and flavor of the product.
Later, this technology spread to Rome, and the Romans built a bigger oven without putting out the fire when baking bread. The burning part of this oven is in the middle, and an insulation layer is built around the fire. Before entering the oven, the bread needs to be put into the oven with wooden boards and baked directly on the interlayer. When it is cooked, take it out with a board. The bread baked by this process is more fragrant, the capacity of the oven is larger, and the number of baked bread is also increased.