The major factors which adversely influence the quality of bread are as follows:
- Inferior quality and inadequate quantity of gluten in the flour.
- Poor or excessive diastatic activity.
- Disproportionate quantity of raw material.
- Inferior quality of raw material specially yeast
- Incorrect time and temperature of fermentation
- Incorrect methods of manipulation of dough i.e. knock back, dividing and moulding.
- Improver proofing condition i.e. time, temperature and humidity.
- Improper baking conditions i.e. time temperature and humidity.
- Inadequate cooling of bread before packing
- Improper storage conditions
- A general lack of understanding of principles of hygiene on the part of baker.
Other factors are:
- EXCESSIVE VOLUME: REASONS
- Over fermentation of dough
- Lack of temperature in the oven
- Too slack a dough
- Lack of salt in the formula
- Excessive quantity of yeast
- Excessive proofing
- Excessive quantity of dough for the size of mould
- Loose moulding
- CRUST COLOR:
- Excessive fermentation time
- Lack of salt
- Too slack a dough
- Excessive yeast
- Too high temperature
- Lack of sugar in formula
- Use of excessive dusting of flour
TOO DARK COLOR:
- Excessive sugar
- Young dough (under fermentation)
- Too high oven temperature
- Higjh milk/salt
- Lack of humidity in the oven
- LACK OF BREAK SHRED:
- Over fermentation
- Under matured dough
- Over proofing
- Too high temperature in oven
- Very slack dough
- HOLES AND TUNNELS IN BREAD:
- Too weak flour
- Too strong flour with high yeast content
- Mixing of ingredients
- Oven sole is too hot
- Knocking back is not done thoroughly
- Excessive dusting of flour.
- CORES AND SEAMS:
The hard spots are known as “cores” and the dense layers are known as “seams”
- Uneven mixing of dough
- Incorporation of bits of dough
- Skinning of dough during bulk fermentation
- Weight of dough more than mould
- Too hot or too cold bread moulds
- Careless handling of fully expended bread while loading the oven.
- CONDENSATION MARKS:
- Dark color patches are known as condensation marks because the bread is not allowed to cool properly before packing
- RAPID DRYING OF BREAD: (STALING)
- Baking in too cool oven
- Over fermentation
- Too tight dough
- Imbalance in quantity of ingredients
- Excessive use of mineral (improvers)
- OVER MOIST OR STICKY CRUMB:
- Excessive sugar
- Over proofing
- Under proofing
- CLOSE CRUMB:
- Over use of potassium bromate
- Use of hard water
- Young dough
- Under proofing etc.
- CRUMBLINESS OF CRUMB: (ELASTCITY OF BREAD)
- Too slack dough
- Too tight dough
- Excessive use of fat
- Low salt content
- Under mixed dough
- Over proofing
- Excessive of mineral improvers
- Poor quality of flour
- Under baked dough
BREAD DISEASES:
- ROPE: a spoiling bacterial growth in bread experienced when the dough becomes infected with bacterial spores. The bacteria responsible for causing “rope” is “Bacillus mesentericus vulgates”. It is soil borne bacteria.
- MOLD: spores enter through the cracks on the surface of the bread and spoils the bread.
