Among baking ingredients, bread improvers are one of the most common. Although it is not included in the main raw material of bread, in actual production, we will find that almost every baker uses bread improver. Faced with a wide variety of bread improvers on the market, many people are at a loss. Why use bread improvers and how to choose them?
As a baker, in the process of bread making, at least the following two points are helpless: The first is the quality of flour. Bakers cannot control the quality of flour, but can only improve the stability of flour in the production process and the quality of bread by controlling the production process, that is, adding improvers. Secondly, it is the aging problem of wheat starch, that is, starch retrogradation. After the bread is out of the oven, the starch begins its aging process, which is manifested in the bread becoming hard and slag falling. These will affect the quality of bread products, so effective bread improvers have become the first choice of many bakers.
So, what is the role of bread improvers in bread production?
First, bread improvers can effectively improve the stability of the dough in the production process, such as improving the mixing resistance of the dough and improving the stability of the dough during the fermentation process; It is manifested in the volume of bread and improves the uniformity of the internal structure of the bread; thirdly, the bread improver will maintain the softness of the bread for a long time, that is, delay the aging and retrogradation of starch and so on.
There are so many functions of bread improver, how to choose?
Professional bakers will first look at the ingredient list and choose high-quality products that contain amylase, glucose oxidase, emulsifiers, etc.
Because, amylase can hydrolyze starch into dextrin and reducing sugar, delay the recrystallization process of starch, thereby delaying the aging of starch; Can increase the volume of bread.
The emulsifier has the functions of improving the elasticity, toughness and hydrophilic and lipophilic of the dough, so it can effectively increase the volume of the bread, make the internal structure of the bread uniform and fine, and delay the recrystallization process of starch granules, that is, delay the aging of starch. Glucose oxidase is a safe and effective dough oxidant, which can promote the formation of disulfide bonds between proteins and strengthen the gluten network structure.
This type of compound bread improver is favored by many bakers. However, due to the diversification of user needs due to the different functions of these different ingredients, each bread improver development company usually focuses on the formula ratio in the development process to meet the requirements of different customers and reduce the production cost of customers. Therefore, there are different types of bread improvers, such as strong gluten type bread improvers for weak flour gluten, anti-aging type bread improvers for extending shelf life and comprehensive bread improvers (strong gluten effect and anti- aging effects are more prominent).
After understanding the different functions of the ingredients of the bread improver, it is a small case for bakers to choose a truly applicable bread improver.
Finally, it is recommended that bakers choose improver products from large-scale and reputable companies to ensure the safety and quality stability of the improver formula raw materials, and stay away from those products that contain potassium bromate that is prohibited by the state.
So after finding a good bread improver, how do we use it correctly?
Why Use Bread Improver?
1. Trend development market needs:
Bread is a popular convenience food. With the improvement of people’s living standards and the continuous improvement of dietary structure, people are more and more interested in bread. High-quality bread should be safe to eat, soft and delicious, rich in nutrients, easy to digest, and easy to carry. To produce good bread, the quality index of the final dough must meet the following requirements: the water absorption of the flour is about 60%, the dough stability time is 10~12min, the softening degree is less than 50Bu, and the tensile resistance of the dough is 600~700Bu , The ratio of tensile resistance to extensibility is 3~5, and the energy value of dough is 120~180cm2.
Before the bread improver is not added, the general bread flour only meets the requirements of gluten content, water absorption, stabilization time, softening degree and other indicators. The disadvantages of the dough are: the dough has strong elasticity, high hardness, easy to break, large expansion resistance during dough fermentation, and long fermentation time; the bread produced by it is small in size, compact in organization, poor in looseness, and easy to break in the skin. Therefore, it must be improved by adding a bread improver.
2. The role and effect of the bread improver itself
- Improve the rheological properties of the dough, improve the operating performance and mechanical processing performance of the dough (beating resistance, preventing the collapse of the frame before and after entering the furnace, etc.).
- Improve the rapid expansion of the furnace, so that the crown shape is upright and full.
- Significantly increase the volume of the finished product, 30-100% (depending on the specific powder and formula).
- Improve the internal organizational structure of the finished product to make it uniform, dense, white and well-leveled.
- Improve the taste, make the bread gluten and sweet.
- Improve the water holding capacity of bread, delay the aging of finished products, and prolong the shelf life.
3. Be careful when using bread improver
- Read the instructions first
When selecting a bread improver, first read the instruction manual of each bread improver in detail, and clearly understand the performance, main function, addition amount and usage method of the selected bread improver, and pay special attention to observe the composition of each bread improver. ingredients, and whether their main purpose is consistent with the purpose of choosing a bread improver.
- Use in moderation, the method should be appropriate
Be aware of it, if the amount added is too small, the effect will not be achieved; if the amount added is too much, it will cause side effects. Improper use methods, such as uneven mixing with other ingredients when mixing the dough, will not achieve the effect of use.
- Weather influence
There are enzymes in bread improvers. It is cold in northern winter. When mixing dough, water should be heated first and then improvers should be added.