I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 190



Only Noblemtl

190 his time

“hmm….”

Quinton strokes his chin and makes an unintelligible noise. He then snaps his index finger and calculates something.

“If we acquire a factory, it would be very valuable for marketing purposes. We could use what we just talked about later. If we acquire a small or medium-sized factory, we wouldn’t need such a large investment. We’ll start pouring in marketing costs from the beginning.

“Assuming each school uses 1,000 units, we should be able to produce at least 20,000 units per day.”

“Aren’t you going to stop it?”

“Would it be effective if you tried to stop it? I hate pointless arguments. If you have to do it anyway, it’s more efficient to study how to get the best results there.”

He takes another bite of his sandwich.

Ugh, ugh.

“You said this baguette is the bread used at Segreto, right? It’s definitely delicious. I don’t think I can achieve this level of quality, but since the chef will personally plan the process, I think I can look forward to the taste, right?”

He looks at me with a playful expression and says:

“I can’t guarantee anything since it’s my first time at a factory, but I know how to make delicious bread. Good ingredients, maturation, and proper baking.”

If possible, I would like a factory where I can control every detail.

“Okay, I’ll look into it right away. It has to be somewhere where we can bake and ship it out the same day, so considering logistics, the area around Port Elizabeth in New Jersey seems like the best place.”

After eating his sandwich, Quinton leaves.

“It’s clear that that person is not normal either.”

I would have heard of such an outstanding person at least once, but I didn’t know him in my past life.

Considering his indifference to projects that didn’t interest him, it’s not surprising that he probably never found a business that he could take on.

But he met me and I know how to run a capable manager very well. As a result, I believe Quinton will have no complaints because it is for the good of all of us.

* * *

“How on earth did this happen?”

A chilly chill is blowing through the Office of the First Lady in the East Wing of the White House.

This was because the school meal reform, which was implemented after a three-year preparation period, was facing extreme backlash in less than a year.

Michelle’s bill had a perfect case, and the timing was right after her husband’s reelection, so there was plenty of momentum to get it done.

But what she overlooked was the greed of the companies.

“Almost all schools are struggling with budget and staff shortages and cannot run their own cafeterias. Ultimately, they have no choice but to outsource their services. However, outsourcing companies are using dirty tricks to circumvent the law.”

When they said that vegetables should be included in school meals, they served uncooked broccoli and half-baked salad. They lobbied to pass this ridiculous bill, claiming that ketchup and French fries are also vegetables.

The increasing calories were resolved by reducing the amount of food, which resulted in the worst possible outcome: the food that students received was worse in both quality and quantity.

“Is there really no way to stop those companies?”

Michelle asks her policy adviser, looking frustrated.

“America guarantees free enterprise unless it is illegal. We can’t stop them simply because they are not tasty.”

“Is it normal to put raw broccoli on a plate? Is this really right? I have become a laughing stock to the public.”

While preparing the bill, we consulted with over 2,000 experts.

The optimal nutritional composition and calories for adolescent students were calculated and the beneficial effects were simulated. However, the policy was met with fierce resistance from the start and was on the verge of failure.

“Michelle.”

Carol, a policy adviser and a longtime colleague from the University of Chicago, calls Michelle softly.

“say it.”

“This bill was flawed from the start.

We designed the law assuming they were human beings with a conscience and a sense of responsibility. That was wrong. They are not human beings. We should have known in advance that they are sons of bitches who can feed their children garbage without any guilt!

How can a law that relies on the good will of others succeed? All we needed was a whip and a leash to force them. But now it’s all wrong. We’ve ruined it all!”

Carol pours out her emotions with a face full of rage, but no one will know their true feelings.

Michelle lowers her head.

There was nothing she could do but pray that someone with good intentions would follow the bill’s intent and provide the right food for children.

* * *

The factory Quinton acquired was a small operation located not far from Port Elizabeth.

“They said they were a company that supplied baguettes to nearby cafes and bakeries. Of course, the work varies from time to time, so they also had experience handling school bread. The maximum daily production volume is 20,000 pieces.”

I entered the factory under his guidance.

They wear full-body gowns reminiscent of spacesuits, boots, and masks. It was a factory with fairly good hygiene management.

After washing my hands at the sink, I put on my gloves and press the button, and the door to the workroom opens.

Jiying.

Inside the workshop, about 50 employees were working busily.

“They said there is a quantity scheduled to be delivered by tomorrow. All contracts will be completed this week, so there is no need to worry.”

“It’s a lot different from what I thought.”

Since I have seen so many automated factories, I expected a system where you put in materials and they produce a finished product. However, almost all the processes here are done manually.

As the worker pours the ingredients into a large cylinder and presses a button, the dough starts kneading with a whirring sound. The gluten-activated, sticky, giant dough is placed on a work table, and workers cling to it, cutting it one by one with a scraper and dividing it into portions.

Other workers shape the divided potions and place them on molds.

It seems like about 50 pieces will fit in one plate. They are put in a maturing cellar and forced to ferment at a warm temperature.

After that, the trays are filled one by one into a huge oven that looks like a server rack and baked to finish.

“Try it.”

The factory manager, who had been informed in advance, came out and handed us some bread.

It’s hard for freshly baked, warm bread to be tasteless.

But that also depends on the bread.

The bread didn’t rise properly because it wasn’t fermented. The bread was forced into the mold and shaped unnaturally.

A baguette should be crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

However, the taste of the wheat was bland and the gluten was not formed properly due to insufficient fermentation, resulting in a lack of texture. The gritty aftertaste from sodium benzoate further reduced the appeal of the bread.

“The maturation would have to be at most two hours. I think you used Hard Red Winter wheat.”

Wheat has a low protein content.

“That’s right. It’s Kansas wheat. We’re aging it for 90 minutes.”

The factory manager looks at me in surprise.

“Can you make me the bread I want with the recipe, just by leaving out one line?”

“Of course it is possible.”

I started writing down the recipe in front of him.

In Segreto, baguette dough goes through a total of four fermentation processes. However, here, the temperature is raised only once to force fermentation, so the bread has almost no flavor.

It is recommended to use the Dark Northern Spring grade of wheat flour, which has the highest protein content and rich flavor among strong flours.

Add water, salt, and yeast in the right proportions, and mix in only 0.5% malt powder for flavor. Children prefer the intuitive taste rather than the subtle sweetness of wheat. Since you will only produce the amount you will use that day, no additives are needed.

Baguettes can last for about a week at room temperature without any additives. They use additives because they want to distribute them longer without risk.

Segreto’s baguette dough undergoes four stages of maturation for a total of 24 hours, but you can’t expect this from a factory.

First, ferment at room temperature for 1 hour before dividing. Then, remove the gas and do a secondary fermentation in a low-temperature maturation device for 12 hours.

Finally, after dividing the dough into small portions, shape it and remove it from the refrigerator at room temperature to complete the process.

It won’t be difficult, as you can just put the dough in a low-temperature fermenter before you leave work and start working the next day.

The downside is that it takes time to make bread, making it difficult to mass produce and unable to respond to rush orders, but this is something the owner has to take responsibility for.

“But sir, we don’t have a low-temperature maturation machine.”

The factory manager, who was looking at the recipe, looks at us and says.

“It’s something you can buy. It’s not expensive. Don’t worry.”

Low-temperature maturation takes place between 4 and 10 degrees Celsius, and maintaining a uniform temperature is key.

“But why do we need to ferment the dough at a low temperature?”

The factory manager’s question makes me laugh. He probably has been doing his work mechanically, following the manual.

“Fermentation makes bread rise. Ripening is the process by which yeast breaks down flour and sugar into amino acids.

“Low-temperature maturation suppresses fermentation while maximizing the flavor of the bread. Low-temperature maturation is essential to precisely control the fermentation and maturation processes.”

The factory manager and Quinton nod.

A few days later the device arrived and the real testing began.

After tasting the first prototype made according to the recipe, Quinton and the factory manager were very satisfied, but I was not.

The malt flavor was stronger than I expected, and the smoothness and chewiness did not meet my standards.

I reduced the malt ratio by 0.1% and lowered the maturation temperature. The fermentation time at room temperature also needs to be finely adjusted.

After about 10 rounds of tuning, the final result was completed.

The coupe marks are clear on the baguette, which has risen to a full size. In the past, there would have been no need to make the cuts, because the bread was not fermented to the point of bursting.

The delicious smell of deep brown baked bread tempts people.

Crunch, rustle.

A well-made baguette has a different feel when you cut into it. The outside is crispy, but the inside is chewy and soft at the same time.

I called all the staff together and had them taste it.

“Is this really the bread we made?”

The factory manager tastes it and is shocked.

It can’t be helped. The facilities here are so poor that it’s embarrassing to call this a factory.

There is no automated equipment to be found, so it is not much different from the bread that a pastry chef makes with great care in a bakery. Moreover, I have put my heart and soul into coordinating all the processes.

“The bread is so delicious?”

“It’s much more delicious than the bakery in front of my house.”

“But doesn’t it take too long?”

“Can I take some with me when I leave work?”

The staff is in an uproar.

I want them to be proud. I want them to work with pride that the bread they produce is the best baguette in New York, or even in the United States.

“It’s too delicious. At this point, it’s not even a mass-produced product, but rather it’s handmade.”

Ugh, ugh.

Quinton’s mouth is constantly watering.

“Is that okay? Production will decrease significantly.”

The maximum number of loaves that can be placed in the maturing room at one time is 2,000. Since it can only be rotated up to two times a day, production has been reduced by 1/5.

“I had no intention of selling it to anyone else anyway. We don’t have enough to use. We can always expand the facilities later if we need to. Now that it’s come to this, I don’t think anyone will criticize us for using a bit of an exaggerated marketing phrase.”

“What are you thinking about?

“Farm to Table, Nature made School Lunch prepared by top chefs.”

“Hahaha. That’s a bit too much.”

“I didn’t lie.

There are no additives or processed foods. Above all, the parents will be amazed at the school meals advertised like that. Of course, they also take future business into consideration.

“I’ve been too fixated on the psychological limit of $3. I’m going to give it up.”

“I don’t think the schools will like that?”

The government provides subsidies for school meals for children from low-income families.

Since the maximum is $3 per person, the food service providers have been reluctantly meeting this limit. If it exceeds $3, the school will have to use its own budget. This will never be welcomed.

“What can I do? For $3, it’s a menu that I can’t get even if I wake up from the dead.

But I don’t think I’ll fail even a little bit. Just as I trusted you and took over the factory, please trust me this time.”

His face is full of confidence.

My work is almost done. Now it is his time.

Quinton chuckles as I nod.