When it comes to baking clean label, there is no one-size-fits-all solution that will work perfectly in every situation. Different formulas and products have different needs.

However, if you’re baking clean label bread, there are a few ingredients that have proven to work well. And as with most clean label products, it’s all about what you take out and what you put in.

What should I take out of clean label bread?

There seem to be a war raging against artificial preservatives right now. One of our Top 10 pages is Artificial Preservatives because of bakers like you who are figuring out how to replace:

• Mold inhibitors like propionates, benzoates and parabens.
• Oxidants like bromates, iodates, calcium peroxide and azodicarbonaminde (ADA).
• Emulsifiers and surfactants such as mono- & di-glycerides, lactylates, DATEM and polysorbates.

What should I put in instead?

We all wish there was a replace-plug-and-play solution, but there isn’t. But at the same time, we’re finding new innovations with natural ingredients that work well in clean label bread products on high-speed lines.

• For anti-molding: vinegar, prune juice concentrate, raisin concentrate, cultured wheat or whey, cinnamon or clove.
• For anti-oxidants: ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or enzymes.
• For emulsifiers: lecithin or enzymes.