Bread

Products

Bread is available, for example, in bakeries and grocery stores, and people also like to make their own. Most additives for baking bread are available in pharmacies and drugstores.

Ingredients

Only four basic ingredients are needed to make a loaf of bread:

  • Cereal flour, e.g. wheat, barley, rye and spelt flour.
  • Drinking water
  • Salt as a flavor enhancer, mostly table salt or sea salt.
  • Microorganisms: Bacteria or fungi (yeast) for fermentation.

Bread, like wine, sauerkraut, yogurt and cheese, belongs to the fermented foods. The dough contains yeasts and / or bacteria that ferment the carbohydrates to carbon dioxide, ethanol and organic acids such as lactic acid, among other things. Yeast is present in yeast dough, and bacteria are additionally present in sourdough, in which both species work together. The microorganisms occur naturally in the flour, but they can also be added for production. Fermentation makes the bread rise, makes it more digestible by breaking down unwanted substances, makes it more durable and gives it the aroma. A sufficiently long resting time for the dough is crucial.

Gluten

Gluten is the name given to a complex mixture of water-insoluble proteins found in the endosperm of cereal grains. Gluten is central to bread baking. After contact with water and during kneading, it forms a flexible network that gives the dough its extensibility, strength and texture. Gluten also retains the carbon dioxide formed by yeast and is necessary for the dough to rise. During baking, the proteins denature and the gluten gives the bread its shape. It can cause adverse effects in sensitive people (see below).

Additives and other ingredients

In addition to the main ingredients, various additives are mixed into the dough. Many are included in industrially produced breads to save time and space and increase efficiency. Some are also suitable for home use. Carbohydrates such as malt extract, malt, maltodextrin, honey, glucose and sugar are added as direct substrates for the yeast and, among other things, promote rising and improve browning. Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, strengthens the gluten network, improves rising and enhances browning. It is also added as acerola powder for natural or organic breads. Fats and oils, such as butter, canola oil and olive oil, make bread smoother and keep it fresh longer. Enzymes such as amylases break down the starch into oligosaccharides, disaccharides and monosaccharides, which the yeast needs for fermentation. This is because yeast cannot metabolize starch directly due to its size. Xylanases break down the xylan of plant cell walls and release nutrients and water from inside the cell. More:

  • Milk and milk products, for example, sour half cream, yogurt (contain live bacteria), milk powder, whey, whey powder.
  • Gluten (wheat gluten, wheat protein).
  • Emulsifiers such as mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids.
  • Raising agents for breads without yeast
  • Acidity regulators
  • Seeds, for example sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, tree nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, poppy seeds.
  • Olives
  • Flakes, for example oatmeal
  • Fruits, dried fruits, for example raisins, apples.
  • Potatoes, potato flakes (starch)
  • Beer
  • Eggs
  • Cheese
  • Spices, herbs, e.g. oregano, caraway seeds
  • Bran, e.g. wheat bran, semolina, germs.
  • Bases such as sodium hydroxide (lye pastry).
  • Stabilizers, preservatives, antioxidants, dyes.

Tips for baking bread

After adding the water to the flour, the dough should be kneaded for a sufficiently long time. This contributes to the formation of the gluten network and a good mixing of the ingredients. Give the dough sufficient time for fermentation and for rising. After rising, knead again and let rise again for about half an hour. Dust with flour before baking. Crust formation can be improved in ordinary ovens if some water is allowed to evaporate in the oven at the beginning of baking. Even better results are obtained if the dough is baked in a cast iron pot with a lid. At the beginning work with high temperatures, after about 20 minutes reduce and remove the lid.

Application areas

Bread is one of the most important staple foods and is central to diets worldwide.

Adverse effects

In industrially produced breads, the resting time of the dough is often short, also in view of the fact that a lot of space is required for it. Nevertheless, to achieve the desired properties, the industry relies on numerous additives (see above). These are doping agents for the bread, with the help of which it can be baked as quickly as possible. This approach is increasingly meeting with criticism. With a short resting time, undesirable substances such as FODMAP are insufficiently broken down and can cause discomfort in people with a food intolerance. Soft and white yeast breads release carbohydrates quickly and cause a rapid rise in blood sugar. Sufficiently long fermented, dark whole grain breads based on sourdough are recommended. The gluten can trigger gastrointestinal symptoms in celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Therefore, gluten-free breads are also sold, for example, on the basis of corn. The majority of additives are harmless from our point of view. However, some can cause undesirable effects. For example, added enzymes can trigger allergic reactions.