Dr. John Dauglish (1824-1866), founder of the Aerated Bread Co
1824 Feb 10th Born in London, the son of William and Caroline Dauglish
1848 Married the daughter of William Consett Wright
1852 Studied in Edinburgh for the medical profession.
Having been thoroughly unimpressed by the Scottish bread of the day, he began to make his own, and to study the science associated with the process. When he applied his earlier studies in chemistry to the process of bread making, he determined that it would be possible to produce carbonic acid gas in bread without yeast. He established that if one could instead introduce carbon dioxide to the process — by dissolving it into solution in the water — this would eliminate the need for fermentation, dramatically reduce the need for physical contact with the dough on the part of the workers, and consequently introduce a greater level of cleanliness into the bread making process. Dauglish "aimed at the abolition of manual kneading with its associated nastiness and dangers to cleanliness and health". Some years later, an 1878 issue of the scientific journal, Nature, reported:
As to the perfect cleanliness of this mechanical process for making bread there can be no question; it is immeasurably superior to the barbarous and old, but as Dr. Richardson remarked, not “time-honoured system of kneading dough by the hands and feet of the workman.”
Such a system would also lend itself to a high degree of automation. This method thus leavens bread, without yeast, by forcing carbon dioxide into the dough under pressure. A patent for this revolutionary new method of bread making was granted in 1856.
1855 Moved to London
1856 Worked with Carr and Co to produce the bread but eventually the project failed
1859 Set up a bakery in London
1859 Dauglish presented a paper on his new method to the Royal Society of Arts, for which he received a silver medal.
1862 the Aerated Bread Company was set up to economically exploit Dauglish's newly patented method that injected carbonic acid gas into the bread making process, eliminated yeast and other additives, and drastically reduced production time.
1866 January 14th. Died at Malvern Wells and was buried there.
See Also
Sources of Information
- DNB