One of the initial steps in the bread baking process, mixing, is hugely responsible for the quality of your final product. Even if the mixing is done well, a product’s quality will be compromised if the incorrect mixing method is used instead of the one that works best for the ingredient selection and genre of bread.
Consumers are paying more attention to what goes into the products they consume, looking at labels and striving to make more educated purchase decisions.
For over 500 years, we’ve been looking for the fountain of youth—that magical restorative water that will make us look and feel younger. While the fountain has yet to be discovered, we can find some solace in knowing that many of the foods we eat are becoming healthier for us.
Frozen foods and snacks are meeting no shortage of challenges in the marketplace according to the “Frozen Foods in the U.S.: Hot Meals, Sides, and Snacks” report from Packaged Facts.
In May’s column, we discussed the process of fermentation. Bakers put that wheel into motion once they combine water, flour and yeast—either commercial or wild—in a bowl and start to mix. However, there are numerous controls to initiate controlled fermentation as opposed to a process that under- or over-ferments yeasted products.
There’s nothing new about the idea of “clean label” products. I’ve been covering the food industry for nearly two decades now, and it has factored into discussions throughout that time.
The chips segment has grown quite lively over the past year, with new product areas emerging and others, like apple chips, seeing considerable growth and maturation. Snack producers are also starting to grow beyond potatoes, offering sweet potato, beet and parsnip chips.
There are no secret ingredients or master recipes in great bread baking. Successful artisan bread baking is largely focused on controlling fermentation. Controlled fermentation accounts for greater dough strength, longer product shelf life due to acidification and, more importantly for your customer, complex flavor.