The Bread Loaf Volumeter
Another mad professor project - the bread loaf volumeter. Purpose: to measure the volume of a cooked loaf and knowing its weight, to determine the loaf specific volume (volume in ml divided by weight in grams).
The specific volume will give a quantitative measure of how "airy" or "solid" a loaf is.
The volumeter works on the simple principle of seed dispacement, usually rapeseed, but pearl barley can also be used and is much easier to find so I used that.
This is what a commercial volumeter looks like:
Not having the space or money for one of those (and I don't think my wife wold be too impressed!), I decided to build something a little simpler. Initially I started off with a simple open box, put the loaf in and filled it brimful with barley, but it got very messy with grain easily spilling everywhere. So I added a lid and a filling tube made of a piece of 4" soil pipe - new, I might add!
It looks a bit clunky, but it works:
To calculate loaf volume, I weigh the amount of barley used and knowing the barley bulk density, convert this to a volume.
I know the volume of the box and the filled part of the pie, so I subtract the volume of the barley from this to give the loaf volume. Simple!
Not a gadget to use on every bake, but useful as an occasional tool.
Lance
Lance, looks pretty nice, and glad you splurged for the new soil pipe instead of going with used.
Love the concept and execution. Brilliant. I could use such a device when comparing the results of the same weight of the dough, cooked against the progressive increase of whole grains.
"glad you splurged for the new soil pipe" - no expense spared, Barry!
As you say, Gavin, it will be useful for comparative trials using different ingredients or processes.
Lance
Cool idea and execution Lance.
Benny
And some people would consider us obsessed! Imagine that!
Danny
Well Danny, it was you who told me that loaf height measurement wasn't enough. I look forward to your volumeter version soon ;)
Lance
in a plastic bag and submerge in a graduated bucket of water and measure the dispacement. Clean and easy.
Is that barley clean?
I agree with you Mini, water displacement would be easier. Measure the weight of the water filled container before and after plunking the ziplock enclosed loaf into the water and extrapolate the volume.
before and after? Surely you jest.
Wait, after, with the loaf, yes interesting. Or just weigh the bread for bread weight. Water weight won't change but the volume will.
No bucket with volume marks? Mark the water height with the bread, remove bread, fill bucket up to the line while on the scales. What to do with the two volumes? Lets say the bucket had 5000 ml of water in the bucket, with the submerged loaf it had 7500 ml. Subtract and the loaf has a volume of 2500 ml. Say the baked loaf weighs 800g
So what does that mean? (A very fluffy loaf ? Maybe a need for a bigger banneton or a dense loaf?)
A tweak to Mini’s great idea.
The great the weight difference, the larger the loaf. Of course, identical TDW are required.
to complicate it. Think simply!