Bread-Bakers v100.n071.24

On Wed, 01 Nov 2000 23:52:58 -0800  Reggie Dwork wrote:
 >
 > Has anyone tried C&H's new Baker's Sugar Professional Grade??  It is
 > ultrafine granulated cane sugar that has been made for professional bakers
 > and chefs for years.  Now it is being produced for home bakers also.  It is
 > supposed to melt and bake very evenly and leave no graininess or soft spots
 > and have a consistent texture.  Claims to still use a cup for a cup.  Now
 > my question ... if it is an ultra-fine grind wouldn't it be less then a cup
 > for a cup??  Larger grains of the regular grind take up more space then an
 > ultrafine grind.

As a geophysicist, I have learned a lot about rock properties and geology.
The density of granular materials (sugar or sandstone) depends on the
porosity, how much empty space is left between the grains. The porosity, in
this case, will be a function of the sorting, not the grain size. That is,
if the sugar is carefully sifted by C&H so that all the grains are the same
size, then they will pack just like larger grains, or marbles for that
matter. It's all just geometry. The way to think of it is that if you pack
marbles, the little holes between the marbles can't get filled in unless
you also add some small marbles to the mix, and the percent of empty space
will be the same, no matter how large or small the marbles. Now the
permeability will be different, but maybe we shouldn't go there! 8-)

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| Alan K. Jackson            | To see a World in a Grain of Sand      |
| alan@ajackson.org          | And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,         |
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