bakingbuyer - May 2011 - (Page 16)

BREADWINNERS BY TOD BRAMBLE NATIONAL SALES MANAGER BAKERY FOOD SERVICE KING ARTHUR FLOUR Preferment Primer In a recent article for Baking Buyer, I covered, at a fairly high level, the fermentation process, which, at its most basic, is yeast converting a food source (simple sugars) into energy (for the yeast) and giving off as by-products: CO2 gas, alcohol, and acid. This process is the same whether you are fermenting cabbage for sauerkraut, barley malt for beer or wheat flour for bread. In bread production fermentation begins after the mixing together of flour, water and yeast. Enzymes reduce the starch (long chains of individual sugar units) into its constituent, simple one and two unit sugars which the yeast can then use as an energy source. The by-products of fermentation are alcohol (ethanol), gas (CO2) and various organic acids. The CO2 leavens the bread giving the loaf volume and lightness. The alcohol evaporates during the bake but has a residual effect on flavor. It is the production of the organic acids, however, that contributes most fully to good texture, flavor, and keeping quality (shelf life). In addition, this acid source strengthens the protein of the maturing dough. When the baker first mixes the flour, water, salt and yeast together, there are no organic acids present in the dough. The process of fermentation, the speed of which is a function of temperature and amount of fermentable sugars, occurs over time, and it is only after it has begun that the organic acids begin to accumulate in the dough. For a straight dough (one consisting simply of flour, water, salt and commercial yeast) to develop a sufficient quality of organic acids to yield a well risen and flavorful loaf of bread with good texture and dough strength, it would require a bulk fermentation of around 3-4 hours (at 72-75F). For a bakery of any size, having quantities of dough sitting around the bakery for 3-4 hours at a time, space quickly becomes an issue. The question then becomes, how can a baker produce a sufficient quantity of organic acids without bulk fermenting the entire quantity of dough. The answer lies in the use of “preferments.” Visit bakingbuyer.com to view a baguette formula made with prefermented dough. 16 · BAKING BUYER · MAY 11 http://www.bakingbuyer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bakingbuyer - May 2011

bakingbuyer - May 2011
EDITOR’S NOTE - The Bakery Showman
CONTENTS
INDUSTRY NEWS
APC/Crisco National Pie Championships
Caravan Launches New Website
National Honey Board Offers Bakery Formulas
Cake Boss Joins Get Back to Scratch
The Baking Channel
Preferment Primer
Birth of the Slider
Team USA Profile
Extremem Cakes
Macaroon Sushi
Think Outside the Bakery
Chocolate Mousse: Tips & Techniques
Get your Grill on
Effective E-Newsletters
"The Greatest Show on Earth"
Welcome Home
Getting to Know You
Brandon’s Cookies
Re-Cakes
Lessons Learned
Wedding Statistics
Efficiency in Motion
Syrups vs. Grounds
FEATURED PRODUCTS
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
MARKETPLACE NETWORK
AD INDEX
Baker's Dozen

bakingbuyer - May 2011