thanks. Dough conditioner really did sound suspicioius. Apparently it can be in anything with flour. That includes a lot of foods around us, needless to say. So even whole wheat flour could have it. Bummer!

Johnny Apple Bomb, don't you think they should remove or change this paragraph, it has an excerpt, not very politically correct in today's world or very nice! I am referring to the racial slur contained in this article. It is at the bottom of the page in the link you provided.
http://www.naturalthyroidchoices.com/bromide.html


Monday, July 21, 1930 - Bromide Intoxication


"The body requires a certain amount of common salt. Bromides drive out some of that necessary salt. When the displacement reaches 30%, bromide intoxication develops, closely resembling several other kinds of intoxication. The victim becomes drowsy and dull. His wits wander; his memory fails. He has hallucinations, "frequently of the colored type, such as seeing a Negro man or some dark animal." The well known bromide rash may or may not occur. "

Perhaps they should use an updated version? I should write them an email. The rest of the info is very interesting, especially being from 1930.

The bromide is put in during the mill processing. You can see it clearly labelled in the 25 lbs bags. The gas stings your eyes during the earlier part of the baking process when the oven door is opened.

Info from another forum.Found this in the Encyclopizza:

http://www.correllconcepts.com/Encyclopizza/04_Dough_ingredients/04_dough_ing...



Flour Treatment and Additives
Flour can be enhanced a number of ways, as discussed here.

CHEMICAL OXIDANTS OR FLOUR IMPROVERS. To perform prop­erly in baking, flour must first undergo oxidation—a process that changes its protein structure for better baking results. Without proper oxidation the bread or pizza crust turns out under-risen and with a coarse texture and overly large cell structure.

Originally oxidation was accomplished by storing flour under controlled conditions for 8 to 10 weeks, and turning it several times to expose the entire stock to air—a process known as aging. It was cumbersome and costly, and also increased the chance of insect infestation. So millers developed ways to circumvent the aging process through chemical treatment, sometimes called chemi­cal aging. Although the methods are different, natural and chemical aging produce the same result: Oxidation of the flour’s protein.

The group of chemical additives used for oxidizing flour is known as flour improvers, and sometimes also called maturing agents. Traditionally the main flour improver has been potassium bromate. Flour that contains it is referred to as “bromated flour.” However some states have begun viewing potassium bromate as a potentially harmful chemical and, so, have required that it be labeled as such on food products. As a result, millers and bakers have started replacing potas­sium bromate with alternate flour improvers, most notably ascorbic acid—commonly known as vitamin C. Functionally speak­ing the main difference between potassium bromate and ascorbic acid is that potassium bromate is a slow-acting oxidzer whereas ascorbic acid is very fast acting. In the end they produce similar results on the dough.

Other flour improvers include potassium iodate, cal­cium bromate, calcium iodate, calcium peroxide, and azodicarbonamide (ADA, for short). Although they all oxidize flour protein, they vary in the speed at which they do it and also in the dough stage at which it occurs. For example, with potassium bromate and calcium bromate the oxidation occurs during the initial phase of baking, or in the oven. But with the others, including ascorbic acid, it occurs earlier during the mixing and fermentation stages. Oftentimes two or more improvers are blended together and added to flour in combination.

Flour that’s unoxidized, or unaged, is referred to as “green” flour.

I have to check it out. I hope Alvarado St. or Ezekiel don't use use Bromide. I don't remember ever seeing Pepperidge Farm having a real hearty grain bread. I am going to just make my own!