When I first began making bread, the science involved was always in the back of my mind. I had an idea of what occurred my diagram for the chemical reactions in dough looked something like this:

When I started preparing a manual for a bread-making class, however, I really began to wonder about the details. Is the sugar for fermentation part of flour? How exactly does the yeast process this sugar? Do all the complex flavors of bread really come from one organic molecule, ethanol? Numerous trips to the university libraries helped me understand the enzymes involved in making the dough.