2/3 Bread Improvers Practical

Produce a small white dough without bread improver and produce round rolls.

Below are pictures of rolls without improver. The following is the recipe of the dough.

Bakers Flour………100%
Salt………………….2%
Improver……………0%
Canola Oil…………..1%
Yeast……………….2%
Water………………..60%

EYF…………………1.65

Bakers Flour…..4.00kg
Salt……………0.08kg
Improver………0.00kg
Oil……………..0.04kg
Yeast………….0.08kg
Water …………2.4kg

The dough was spun like any other dough was spun, the dough was produced using the same water temp, mixing time, intermediate proof time and baking time as the normal rolls.

After the spin cycle had been complete a window test was performed. The dough was not very elastic and torn when stretched, this is because improver conditions the gluten; it strengthens and softens the gluten giving the dough the stretching effect. After moulding the dough sat for 20mins in the intermediate proof stage. Next the rolls were pinned out onto a rolling board, the rolls did not form as well as normally rolls again due to the reduce loss of ability to stretch, tolerance and flexibility. The rolls were cobbed up by hand and then trayed up and placed into the prover. After 2hours and 10 mins the rolls were ready to be baked. Pictures compare the rolls next to normal white rolls with improver (rolls on the left have improver, rolls on the right do not have improver). After being baked for 215 degrees for 15mins the rolls were removed form the oven. The normal rolls with improver were baked at the same time and temp. As what can be seen before baking and after baking the rolls without improver looks to have no air inside of them, this is because, There are two main reasons for the use of bread improvers, and that is to help produce gas, and to retain the gas inside the bread. Because there was no improver there was nothing to act onto the yeast and the gluten.

Pictures were taking of the baked improver-less rolls next to normal rolls, the comparisons seen were, the normal rolls were larger in volume and had better symmetry and shape, had better characteristics of spring and bloom. The rolls without improver had less crust character and sound; the crumb colour was a lot lighter than the rolls with improver. The pictures of the rolls cross sectioned shown (normal roll on the left) the normal rolls had better grain and texture. The aroma of the rolls without improver gave off a bland, stale type of smell, whereas the normal rolls gave of a smell of fresheness. The taste of the improver-less rolls was similar to the taste of a scone, drier and more dense. Below also are pictures of block loaves without improver.

Therefore in summary Improvers optimize all aspects of the bread and give bakers the required tolerance and flexibility during all stages of the baking process: mixing, fermentation, baking and shelf life. Improvers optimize the volume, crumb & crust and freshness of bread. If the centre of your loaf is collapsing, or is very pale in colour it is more than likely that a bread improver has been left out of a dough.