Sunday, August 5, 2007

1/2 Expected Yield Factor 2

The art of dough making has changed over the years, these days dough mixing and preparation is the critical stage of the bread manufacturing process, controlling the loaf volume, determining proper ingredient density and overall keeping the quality of bread. In order to avoid excessive waste due to over production, or loss of sales and customer dissatisfaction due to under producing, it is critical to plan production requirements. An effective way of planning production is by calculating the Expected Yield Factor (EYF).

The Expected Yield Factor (EYF) is determined by adding the proportion of each ingredient relative to the amount of flour required to make the dough. A correctly calculated Expected Yield Factor can determine a doughs taste, flavor, smell, oven spring, proving time and dough development.

For example a doughs taste comes mainly from the salt. Salt is an essential ingredient in quality bread production. By using The EYF calculation it determines the proportion of salt needed within a dough in accordance to the amount of flour. Another example is Dough development, Dough development is a relatively undefined term. Among other things, it addresses a number of complex changes in bread ingredients that are set in motion when the ingredients first become mixed, thus relating back to the EYF calculations. The changes are associated with first the formation of gluten, which requires both the hydration of the proteins (water within the dough) in the flour and applied energy (mixing speeds within a bowl). Dough development can be in relation to the doughs stretching, thinning and expansion abilty.

Overall the importance of calculating EYF correctly can have detrimental effect on the loaf. Baking times and baking temperatures are altered and co inherent towards the calculated EYF, resulting in a controlled volume and behavior of the dough which allows full baking potential.

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