ROLE OF EACH INGREDIENT IN BREAD MAKING

Flour

The flour used for bread making should have a creamy white color; it should feel slightly coarse when rubbed between the fingers. If squeezed into a lump in the hand, it should fall apart as soon as the hand is opened. The protein content s\of the flour should be high.

Yeast

After flour, yeast is the next important ingredient for bread making. Yeast is a unicellular microscopic plant. It consists of a cell wall, protoplasm, and vacuole. It requires food, moisture and the right temperature for its growth and reproduction. They reproduce by budding. There is no organism known other than yeast which contains the same combination of enzymes in the same proportion. That is why there is no substitute for yeast as a fermenting enzyme. (Enzymes are minute substances produced by living organisms which by its mere presence are capable of bringing bout or speeding up certain changes. The enzyme itself is neither destroyed nor changed.)

The most important enzymes which take part in the fermentation process are invertase, maltase, zymase, and protease. (Fermentation is the process by which yeast acts on sugar and changes then into carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. The release of gas produces the leavening action. The alcohol evaporates completely during and immediately after baking.

The sugar in bread dough comes from two sources-

a. It is added to the dough by the baker.

b. It is produced from flour by the breakdown of starch into sugar by enzymes present in the flour. α and β amylase.

As yeast is a living organism and is sensitive to temperatures.

Storage temperature – 1°C – 4°C Inactive

15°C – 20°C Slow action

20°C – 32°C Best growth

32°C Reaction slows down

60°C Yeast is killed

Yeast is available in 3 forms:

1. Fresh yeast / Compressed / wet yeast is moist and perishable.

2. Active dry yeast is a dry granular form of yeast. It has to be activated before use, i.e. it has to be rehydrated in 4 times water its weight of warm water before use.

3. Instant dry yeast is also a dry granular form of yeast, but it does not have to be dissolved in water before use. It can be added in its dry form because it absorbs water much more quickly than regular dry yeast.

Compressed yeast should be used 2-2.5 times more as compared to dry yeast.

Sugar:-

The main function of sugar in bread making is to provide for yeast which in turn produces carbon dioxide. It helps in enhancing the flavor of the bread. Being hygroscopic, sugar helps to retain moisture in bread.

It contributes to the golden brown outer crust color of bread.

Apart from the sugar added in the formula, sugar is present in the fermenting dough as a result of the diastase activity. This sugar provides food for yeast at a certain time at the final stage of fermentation. It also imparts bloom to the bread.

Fat:-

Fat is used in bread making at the rate of 1-2%. Fat adds nutritive value to the bread. It acts as a lubricant on the gluten strands, thus improves the extensibility which enables the bread to acquire good volume. Fat also helps to retain moisture in the bread and thus its sliceability. Fat should be added during the last stages of mixing. If it is added in the beginning, it will have an adverse effect on water absorption power of the flour.

Salt:-

Sat imparts taste to the bread. It also helps in bringing out the flavor in bread. Is has a controlling effect on the yeast activity and thus keeps the speed of fermentation under check. Salt has a tightening action on flour proteins thus improving the gas retention power in the dough. Salt being hygroscopic, it helps to keep bread fresh and moist for a longer period of time. The color of the crust is largely dependant on the amount of salt added while making the dough. That means if there is less salt in the dough, yeast action will be more than normal and there will be less sugar for caramelization resulting in poor crust color. On the other hand, if more salt is present, there will be more sugar left at the time of baking due to the controlling effect of salt on yeast and the crust color will be dark.

The amount of sugar in a bread recipe varies between 1.25% – 2.5% depending on the strength of the flour, length of fermentation time, etc.

Water:-

Any water which is fit to drink can be used for bread making. Water binds together the insoluble proteins of flour to form gluten.