Flavor in Lean Breads - How Is It Possible?
Trinh Lieu
Except for salt, these ingredients are almost tasteless and flavorless by themselves. Yet, when they are combined together along with the benefit of a little time, they prove that the whole is greater than its parts.
Over 70% of flour content is starch which is, as we all know, a complex carbohydrate. The rest is mostly proteins.
There are two main types of proteins that are helpful in bread baking.
1. Gluten proteins, gliadin and glutenin, are instrumental in building texture and structure.
2. Enzymes are the other type of proteins. They are responsible for breaking down starch into simple sugars.
Yeast, a one-cell microorganism, feeds on some of these simple sugars, and releases carbon dioxide along with alcohol. The end result of this reaction is a desirable leavening effect.
The rest of these converted simple sugars contributes significantly to the enjoyable flavor of a freshly-made loaf of lean bread.
Flavor development occurs mostly during primary fermentation. This is an adequate amount of resting time. During this time, bread dough also rises as a result of carbon dioxide production from yeast and gluten development from gliadin and glutenin.
Copyright 2006 by Trinh Lieu
The author of this article enjoys baking especially breads and cookies. Her Web site, Baking Perfect Homemade Cookies With Five Essential Rules, is where she shares her cookie baking experience. She discusses basic characteristics and functionality of ingredients most often used in baking homemade cookies. She also illustrates many cookie recipes with images and easy-to-follow directions.
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