The Role Of Ingredients In Bread Baking - Panasonic Bread Bakery SD-250 Operating Instructions & Recipes

The Role of Ingredients in Bread Baking

The ingredients used in bread baking all play an important part in the quality of the
bread produced.
Below we briefly discuss the role that each ingredient plays in the bread baking
process. It is important to follow the recipes and weigh or measure carefully to ensure
the correct balance of ingredients for successful bread baking.
Flour:
Most bread is made from wheat flour.
The quantity and quality of the gluten
forming proteins in the flour determines
its suitability for good bread making.
High grade flours have a consistently
higher protein content than some of the lower grades
available and these will generally give a more
successful result.
If lower grade flours are used, the addition of
1 tablespoon of gluten flour will improve performance.
All flour starts off as brown flour and is milled and
refined until it becomes white.
In wholemeal flour, the wheat grain has not been
removed so breads made with wholemeal flour have
a coarser, more crumbly texture.
Breads made with wholemeal flour only will have a
reduced volume due to the reduced availability of
gluten forming proteins. To enhance the volume in
these loaves a proportion of white flour can be used
and additional gluten flour may also give improved
results.
Flour milled from cereals such as oats, rice, barley
and rye contain little or no gluten. Therefore these
loaves have a low rise and a dense structure.
Panasonic recommend the use of
HIGH GRADE FLOUR.
Sugar:
Sugar used in bread making comes
in a variety of forms ---these include
white sugar, brown sugar, molasses,
treacle, honey and golden syrup.
Sugar in some form is essential in
all breads as sugar provides food
for yeast ---it helps the yeast to begin
to ferment and then promotes continued yeast action.
Sugar also provides sweetness and aids browning
during baking.
Artificial sweeteners cannot be successfully used as
a substitute for sugar ---they do not provide the
carbohydrates required for fermentation.
Salt:
Salt is very important in bread making as
it gives the bread a more even texture.
It also controls action of the yeast by
inhibiting enzyme activity, thus
controlling the amount of carbon dioxide
produced. Bread with reduced salt will have a weak
gluten structure and a more open texture, too
much salt inhibits fermentation.
Salt also contributes to the flavour.
Fats:
The main purpose of fats in
bread baking is to tenderise and
soften the bread and to enhance
the flavour and richness. Although the
addition of fat is not essential, breads
made without fat will have less flavour and will not
keep as well.
The best flavour is achieved when butter is used ---
it should be softened to help mixing.
Other fats can be used. These include vegetable oil,
margarine or shortening. Remember that these may
alter the flavour and texture.
Milk and milk products:
These enhance the flavour and help
increase the nutritional value of the
bread. The recipes included in this
book use dry milk because it is
convenient to use.
If fresh milk is used, reduce the quantity of water by
the same amount.
Fresh milk is not suitable if timer is being used.
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