Blog
Baking Baguettes: Tips and a Recipe
Let’s get specific. Really specific. Let’s talk baguettes. Baguettes are often grouped into the category of french bread or the even larger category artisan breads. What sets a baguette apart? Baguettes are typically: 2-3 inches in diameter 2 feet in length High crust...
Baking Highly Nutritious Bread
If you’re looking for a way to get more people eating your bread, then bake nutritious bread. Consumers are searching for healthy foods; foods that fit into their diet and lifestyle. So a bread that also meets dietary fiber goals? Win, win! How much fiber is this...
Looking for a Gluten-free Option? Try Waxy Sorghum
There’s no doubt, consumers are moving from looking for gluten-free products to finding gluten-free products that taste good! Many flour substitutes often leave gluten-free options tasting bland or low on substance. So, bakers...
Are Carbs Good or Bad for Your Weight?
We all have heard that carbs are bad when it comes to weight loss. It is no secret that eliminating ALL carbs from your diet will show weight loss in the short term. But, do you know how important carbohydrates are to keep your body functioning? Let’s take a look at...
Measure Relative Humidity
When you measure relative humidity (RH), you're gauging the moisture in the air. The higher the RH%, the more moisture is out there. While you may be sick of humidity this time of year, it’s a very, very important part of baking. Done right, it works wonders on...
How to Make Sprouted Wheat Berries for Sprouted Grain Bread
Why sprout? Using sprouted wheat berries to make bread is becoming popular due to their nutritional value. The protein and lipid content in wheat are increased with sprouting.1 Amylopectin, which can affect blood sugar levels, is decreased. Furthermore, wheat sprouts...
Is Mold Waste Hurting Your Bakery?
Is mold the culprit in your bakery’s waste issues? Sorbic acid is a broad-spectrum anti-molding agent that covers a wide range of spoilage organisms and works synergistically with propionates commonly used in the baking industry.1 Unfortunately, one of the...
Vanilla: The Politics of Flavor
Nothing beats the smell of a Tahitian vanilla bean steeping in cream. At least that is what I thought. But it might be time for me to reevaluate my stance on vanilla flavoring, and here is why: The increase in consumer demand for all-natural everything in packaged...
Milk Replacements That Work
There's more than one reason to replace milk in your formula. It’s a top allergen. It’s expensive. Your customers are vegans or they don’t want genetically modified hormones like rBGH. If you are looking for milk alternatives, there are worthwhile options. How do...
Adding a Whole Grain Claim to Your Label?
Is your bakery focused on producing whole grain products? Consumers are turning away from baked goods produced with refined flour and seeking healthier alternatives found in whole grain foods. Whole grains are grains that are consumed in their original form without...
How Do You Define Baking Quality?
You can just tell some products and batches are better than others. But can you pick out what makes one better than the next, and replicate it consistently? If you set objective parameters and qualifications for areas such as size, shape, crumb, crust, etc., baking...
Pitching a Loaf Podcast S1E12 Eat Bread 90 Comes to an End!
The final results are in! After a loaf a day for 90 days, Dr. Lin Carson shares her final weight and levels. Did she gain 20 pounds like everyone thought she would, or was her hunch right that a diet full of bread isn’t as terrible as people think? Dr. Carson did not...
Why the Baking Industry Uses Emulsifiers
An emulsifier has a water-loving end and a fat-loving end. It is used in water-oil emulsions to prevent their immiscibility and to maintain these systems’ stability. In the baking industry, emulsifiers are used frequently, but surprisingly, not everyone knows their...
90 Days of Bread in the Books
90 days ago, I started with a loaf a day, at 149 pounds. And here at the end, not a single pound gained! I’d call that a successful challenge! It’s been quite a ride, with delicious bread eaten, inspiring ideas shared and hopefully some minds changed about bread’s...
It’s a Biga Deal! Baking with Fermented Dough
Artisan breads are in. One of the top food trends for this year is rustic breads, like Ciabatta. If you’re going to try your hand at a bread like this, you need to understand fermentation and starters like biga. What is biga? Biga is a preferment with no salt, usually...
