Ingredients into the Mix: Ready-to-use Flour Mixes

Ready-to-use flour mixes can include a wide range of ingredients, from seeds, to dried spelt, sourdough, maize, malt powder, acidifying agents, stabilizers, and many more. We asked Philibert Savours to explain the ingredient selection process in the development of such mixes.

For the French baguette, adding a very small quantity of improvers (0.2 to 3%) is needed, the company explains. For example, in the case of the countryside or rustic bread, the ratio of improvers in the mix is higher (5 to 15%); it increases even more for cereal or special bread (15 to 50%).

Step 1: technical aspects

We must define five points, according to Philibert:

• Customer need
• Flour quality
• Know-how of the technicians’ know-how
• Type of equipment
• Local climatic conditions and consumption habits

Step 2: We start to test and understand the flour “quality” (its strengths and its weak points).

Step3: Selection of the ingredients that to add to the flour, to achieve the best mixes.

This is dependent on the know-how of people, types of equipment used, and on the recipe; the company will assist to recommend recipes that would best suit a certain flour mix.

Step 4: Selection according to technical and sensory aspects. “We always have to choose the sourdough related to the technical points of view above, because sometimes they modify the final bread test. On the other hand, sensory aspects can impact the technical characteristics of the dough and trigger the need for technical changes. Technical aspects and sensory combine together, the specialist concludes.

Challenges are developing products, without any e-number, vegan, gluten-free, they had to be more natural like artisanal and the better (customized) recipe and also obtaining the best product easy to bake with.