Artisan Breads

Rising stars
Tricky terminology
Ingredients' legend
Production kneads
Dietary distinctions

White bread may be just fine for the under-10 crowd, but hearty, flavorful artisan breads' rising popularity with the rest of us means these specialty breads are here to stay.

Consumption of artisan breads continues to climb. Consumers are attracted to homey comfort foods that give the illusion, at least for one meal, of a slower, more leisurely lifestyle - and they're willing to pay the extra buck for them. In fact, in a growing number of stores, more shelf space is being devoted to artisan and specialty baked goods, while shelf space in the "processed" baked-goods aisles is shrinking. Store brochures advertise all-natural ingredients with no added fats or sweeteners, and many use wild yeast present in the air instead of commercial yeast. Some proclaim the use of a slow fermentation process for texture and flavor development, as well as the use of brick European stone-hearth ovens to bake the breads.

The rustic bread trend is growing in culinary circles, as well. Bon Appetit lists artisan breads as one of the top food trends in 1998. Ciabatta, a flavorful, crusty Italian peasant bread, is featured as an example of a popular bread that is easy to make at home.

Interest in artisan breads coincides with the growing overall interest in gourmet, specialty and high-quality foods on the part of ever-larger numbers of consumers. Increasing sophistication of the consumer palate creates an opportunity for industry to market higher-quality and more-expensive baked goods. Along with this opportunity, however, comes a number of challenges - the first of which is determining what, exactly, is an "artisan" bread?

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The term artisan bread usually refers to the "Eurocentric-style breads which are made by hand, in small batches, in the presence of an artisan," says Greg Tompkins, director of the National Baking Center at Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis. He adds that artisan should refer to the core techniques involved in producing the bread, including the ingredients and the mixing, fermenting and baking processes. True artisan breads can be found mainly in the smaller or boutique bakeries, where large-scale manufacturing is not the norm. However, with the rise in popularity of these high-quality, yet more expensive, breads, it is only natural that a successful high-volume bakery would want to expand production into this area.

This is where we might run into confusion. A growing bakery that is successful in selling artisan bread would naturally wish to continue using the term artisan. However, simply by expanding production, the bread may lose its artisan quality. Stepping up production generally is followed by increasing mechanization and use of ingredient additives, which are the main reasons for quality differences between American pan bread and European artisan bread in the first place.

Today, the term artisan is used loosely, and sometimes includes any breads that use all-natural ingredients and have the shape and look of the old-European-style breads. Walk through the supermarket bakery these days, and you are likely to encounter a display of old-fashioned-looking, fresh-from-the-oven, hearty, crusty breads. While these breads may look the part, most are still produced on an assembly line - the very opposite of the true meaning of the word artisan. In fact, many American consumers do not understand the quality of true artisan bread. Some breads called artisan may not in fact possess the qualities of the true old-European artisan breads.

Flavored breads may also be considered artisan breads, further adding to the confusion. Included in this category are the popular breads with added vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and cheeses. Other bread-like products such as certain bagels, focaccias, pizza crusts and the like are also sometimes considered artisan breads. The appeal of all these breads lies in their flavor, texture, aroma and nutritional benefits, while the challenge to manufacturers lies in their production requirements and their relatively short shelf lives.

To help explain the issues encountered by bread producers when manufacturing artisan breads, we'll take a closer look at individual ingredients and processes, as well as the resulting bread characteristics. On the way, we'll point out differences between traditional white pan bread and the more rustic artisan breads and their close relations.

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While artisan bread varieties are known for containing only the basic materials required for bread making - flour, water, yeast and salt - many popular specialty breads also contain added whole grains, fruits, nuts and other ingredients. Following is a breakdown of ingredient recommendations for artisan and specialty bread production.

Flour. American pan bread manufacturers typically utilize wheat flours with high protein contents, ranging from 11.5% to 12.5%, according to Tompkins. Flour with a high protein content develops into a strong dough that can withstand rough handling by assembly-line equipment. In contrast, states Tompkins, true artisan bakers look for flour with a lower protein content, between 10.0% and 10.5%, but with a high quality of protein. Commonly a hard red winter wheat has the protein quantity and quality favorable for artisan bread making. Of course, this is a general statement, and many factors such as crop year, growing region and environmental conditions play considerable roles in flour characteristics.

The lower-protein-level flour used in true artisan breads creates a bread that is chewy, but not so tough that one breaks a tooth. But low-protein doughs are sensitive to rough handling, and therefore require gentle dividing and shaping by human hands if they are to retain gases and bake into a decent loaf volume. Artisan doughs are also made with higher amounts of water than typical American pan-bread doughs. These higher-hydration doughs are more slack or sticky, and are difficult for machines to handle without damaging the doughs. Assembly-line manufacturing equipment handles bread dough more roughly than hand-shaping and -cutting, causing fermentation gases to escape, hence the higher flour protein requirement by large-scale manufacturers for maintaining loaf volume.

"While many bread manufacturers are still geared toward white pan bread, some are trying to achieve the artisan look with large-scale production and may use flours with up to even 13% or 14% protein. These high-protein flours are sometimes used in hearth-baked breads, whole grain and other specialty breads and bagels, found in grocery in-store bakeries as well as in specialty pizza crusts," says Gary Coleman, who works in sales and technical service at Fisher Mills, Inc., Seattle.

In these high-protein artisan breads, the elevated protein content not only increases dough tolerance to machine handling, but also helps create the thick, chewy crust that is part of rustic bread's reputation. Stronger flour results in a finished bread product with a more open grain, because the high amount of gluten helps the dough retain gas better during machine handling. Also, since the artisan-type breads are not baked in pans, stronger doughs help retain the bread's shape more easily during baking. Another contributing factor to higher protein requirements in flours is that many in-store bakeries marketing artisan breads likely use some type of par-baked or frozen dough, which is also prone to losing fermentation gases.

Yeast. Artisan bakers typically use less commercial yeast than do pan-bread manufacturers. Longer fermentation times of artisan breads achieve desired loaf volumes, but with smaller amounts of yeast. Commercial yeasts can be used, but many times, bakers make use of natural yeast present in the air to create a sourdough starter. A sourdough starter, or levain (the French word for the sour or leaven), is an ongoing colony of microorganisms from which a portion is removed and used for each batch of dough. The colony is regularly refreshed by adding more nutrients in preparation for the next batch. "Caring for the levain can be inconvenient. Bakers must refresh the starter one or two times daily, seven days a week, 365 days a year," says Cliff Caron, vice president of bakery product development, Lallemand/American Yeast Division, Montreal. "To some, this means no holidays. Bakers will take the starter home with them if they will be out for a time and some have even been known to take it on vacation. Forgetting to refresh the nutrients even once may cause loss of the synergy present between the leavening organisms. Loss of the balance between the organisms can result in flavor changes in the bread. The levain is also very temperature-sensitive, where changes might favor a wild organism. Extreme care is required to maintain the balance between the organisms necessary for the right flavor and texture in a good artisan bread."

One possible solution to this inconvenience comes from Lallemand/American Yeast, which has recently developed four new starter-culture products for the American market. Each starter is a blend of lactic-acid bacteria and a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast. The bacterial strains include Pediococcus acidilacti, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis. These dry, viable starter cultures are grown separately, then blended together in ratios of one or two log - meaning that bacteria is present at 10 to 100 times the level of yeast in the culture. The products can potentially reduce or eliminate the inconvenience of caring for a levain, because they are added dry to the levain flour at between 0.05% and 0.10%. Traditional yeast levels would be close to 0.20% based on dough flour weight. This translates to five grams of dry starter product for 150 to 300 loaves of bread.

Flavoring. A long natural fermentation provides flavor to artisan bread. "In bread, the leavening organisms are responsible for final flavor, more so than in wine fermentation," says Caron. Flavor in the baked product is a result of the length of the fermentation process and its temperature. These factors also affect the alcohol and acid production of the leavening organisms. Although the trend is to reduce additives, some manufacturers may also rely on natural or artificial flavoring agents such as yeast or sour flavors.

Another way to achieve flavor is through ingredients such as nuts, sun-dried tomatoes or dried fruits. The flavor of almonds for example, can be intensified or reduced by choosing different varieties or processing options. According to the Almond Board of California, Modesto, the Mission and Carmel varieties have a stronger almond flavor intensity than does the Nonpareil variety. Natural almonds have a more intense flavor for whole-wheat and multigrain breads than blanched almonds. Blanched almonds complement mildly flavored breads and sweet rolls. Roasted almonds, with their unique flavor profile, are useful for enhancing artisan breads and yeast-raised rolls.

Whole grains and specialty ingredients. Many popular and delicious breads that fall into the artisan/specialty baked goods category contain various types of whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, herbs or cheeses. These ingredients add to appearance, flavor, texture and health benefits. Often found in today's in-store bakeries are European or rustic breads with olives, fresh herbs, raisins, nuts, black beans, jalepeños, onions and cranberries, to name a few possibilities.

Another trend that started in the organic and health-food market segment, which is likely to take hold in the mainstream segment as well, is termed "flour-less" bread. These dense and moist breads are actually made from coarsely ground, or "kibbled," grains, wheat in particular. The special grinding process resembles that of the ancient stone-ground meals, and includes virtually no flour production, classification or purification of the material. The kibbled grains can be pre-soaked and developed into dough suitable for baking. "These artisan breads can best be characterized by a moist and coarse crumb, a dense and heavy feel, while providing both a chewy and crunchy texture. It is likely that these types of breads were first made in the Middle East and later adopted in Europe, where they have been most recently popularized," says Robert Serrano, vice president of technical operations at Grain Millers, Inc., Eugene, OR.

Colors. Traditionally in American bread production, caramel colors have been used in the darker breads, such as pumpernickel or rye, to achieve the desired shade of brown. While pumpernickel and rye breads have been considered specialty products by some, the artisan category has tried to eliminate ingredients that are not looked at as "natural." Caramel color may not carry the same "artificial" connotations as the FD&C dyes, but is still avoided by manufacturers of many artisan-type breads. In true artisan bread production, crust color comes during baking from the Maillard browning reaction between the natural sugars and proteins in the flour. True artisan rye and pumpernickel breads are simply the color naturally resulting from their ingredients and the method of production.

Preservatives. While white pan bread can be preserved with calcium propionate or other mold inhibitors, true artisan breads are not. However, some artisan breads are fermented to a low enough pH (between 4 and 5) that the acidity acts as a natural preservative. Longer fermentation times in artisan breads also create more flavor and better crumb structure, and eliminate somewhat the need for dough additives. While loaf volume may be slightly smaller without additives, this is generally not an issue for artisan breads.

Shelf life varies for different types of artisan breads. Some baguettes need to be produced several times daily, while certain sourdoughs have up to a two-day shelf life. With today's often fast-paced lifestyle and the need for convenience, artisan breads, with a shelf life of little more than a day, hardly promote expediency to consumers. Much of the time however, bakeries run out of the specialty breads too early in the day. While pan breads that contain preservatives can sit on store shelves for days, and are generally readily available, arriving too late at the bakery might mean not getting the first choice of artisan breads. Accurate prediction of demand is necessary in order to maximize profits from artisan bread production.

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According to the book "Cereal Science and Technology" by R. Carl Hoseney, the process of bread manufacture consists of three basic operations: mixing (dough formation), fermentation and baking. A simplified outline of the typical pan bread sponge-and-dough procedure calls for mixing part of the flour and water with the yeast and yeast food into a loose dough. The sponge is then fermented for three to five hours before the other ingredients are added and the dough is mixed. The dough then sits on the production floor for about 40 minutes before being mechanically divided and given an intermediate proof for 20 minutes. It is then molded, panned and proofed for 55 minutes before baking. Bread made from the sponge-and-dough procedure has a fine cell structure. This dough also has a high tolerance to timing and other variations in processing conditions, making it conducive to large-scale pan-bread production.

Artisan bread production requires a different type of mixing, an extended fermentation time, gentler handling of the dough and a different baking method than American pan bread. Producing artisan breads requires considerably more time and manual handiwork, a task compounded by the use of fewer functional additives, or no additives at all.

For American pan bread, the dough is mixed for longer periods of time than artisan breads, in order to develop the gluten in the higher-protein dough. Fermentation times are shorter for pan breads, with almost no pre-fermentation. Artisan-bread dough, however, requires less mixing time to develop the gluten because of the higher quality and lower quantity of protein in hard red winter wheat flour. This high-quality flour is chosen to withstand the longer fermentation times, which contribute to the overall characteristics of artisan bread. The challenge for manufacturers, then, is meeting the increased demand for both quality and quantity when producing artisan-quality bread in large-scale production.

Several key points manufacturers should consider when attempting to meet the demand for artisan quality bread in large-scale amounts include the need to reduce or eliminate additives, the longer fermentation times often necessary, increased need for manual labor, and the need for innovative equipment.

Mixers. Artisan breads often are mixed in either spiral or oblique-axis mixers built solely to mix bread dough. Spiral mixers employ a corkscrew-shaped hook, while oblique-axis mixers have a single beater, resembling a tuning fork, that rotates at a slower speed than a typical vertical mixer. Spiral and oblique-axis mixers also employ rotating bowls, rather than the stationary bowls found in vertical mixers used for American pan bread production. An advantage to using vertical or planetary mixers is interchangeable attachments that allow varied use of the mixer, for products ranging from cakes and cookies to breads.

Dough dividers and handlers. Typical pan bread manufacture involves a mechanical dough-handling process - kneading, shaping and cutting - that is too rough for lower-strength, higher-hydration artisan doughs. This is one of the main obstacles to the production of large-scale, quality hearth breads. Equipment manufacturers are now looking toward some cutting-edge techniques to facilitate the process. One such piece of equipment is a stress-free dough divider for varied bread production available from Rheon U.S.A., Huntersville, NC. This piece of equipment "babies" the dough much more than typical dough dividers. It handles the higher-hydration doughs, precisely at the desired weights, with no screw or piston pressure, resulting in less damage to the dough.

Machine companies are waking up to breadmakers' needs for large-scale production of artisan breads, and we may see more innovative equipment like this in the future. Equipment improvements such as this have great potential to improve the large-scale production of quality artisan breads.

Baking. Artisan bread is best baked on the hearth of a deck oven with some type of stone decking. Refractory bricking, which absorbs and reflects heat very well, is commonly used. Applying steam to the dough during baking keeps the outer dough layer flexible and moist. This helps achieve the greatest amount of oven spring and loaf volume. Once the outside layer of the dough sets, gases in the loaf can no longer expand to increase the loaf size. Steaming the dough as it bakes also gelatinizes starch on the outside layer, promoting shininess and browning of the loaf.

Pan bread is usually baked in convection or rotating-rack ovens in small- to medium-sized bakeries. In large-scale production, tunnel ovens, which also heat by convection, accept continuously fed pans of dough onto a conveyor belt. This belt carries the pans through the oven to the other end as the loaves finish baking. Pan-bread producers frequently employ steam during baking for the same reasons as do artisan bakers.

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Whether specialty breads containing added grain, fruit, vegetable or nut ingredients are truly artisan or not, one cannot deny the nutritional advantages they offer. In addition to fiber, whole-grain breads are better sources of B vitamins, vitamin E, and many minerals than are white breads. Whole grains are also a good source of folate and selenium, two nutritional buzzwords of the 90s. Because folate has been found to lower the risk of heart disease and birth defects, it is especially important for those at risk of heart disease and for women of child-bearing age to get the recommended daily dosage of 400 micrograms. A 35-gram slice of whole-grain wheat bread contains about 17.5 micrograms of folacin, whereas its white-bread counterpart only provides just over half this amount.

Selenium is also found in whole-grain breads at nearly twice the concentration contained in white breads. Nuts and garlic, two other ingredients commonly used in specialty breads, are also good sources of selenium, as well as other nutrients. Selenium intake was linked with prostate cancer protection by a Harvard School of Public Health study this past September.

Almonds and other nuts are good sources of plant-based protein and monounsaturated fats. They are cholesterol-free and rich in calcium, fiber, iron, folic acid and vitamin E. Something to keep in mind, however, is the seemingly increasing amount of life-threatening allergenic responses to nuts. The safety and labeling consequences of using a wide assortment of ingredients, some of which are potential allergens, in a single manufacturing area and the potential for cross-contamination is a growing concern to the food industry.

The good news is that nut-, vegetable- and fruit-laced breads can only add to the number of grain-based-food servings eaten. This figure is growing, but not yet close to the recommended six to eleven servings daily.

Rest assured that the artisan bread trend is here to stay. And a welcome thought this is, because the presence of these specialty items in our diets can potentially improve nutritional health, as well as increase consumer satisfaction with bread products.
Keeping customers happy is a constant challenge to bakery manufacturers, due to the ever-increasing sophistication of consumers' palates. In the future, equipment manufacturers and bakers alike will undoubtedly work towards mastering the opportunities and the challenges of improving large-scale production of quality artisan breads.

Elizabeth Mannie is a freelance food writer with over 20 years experience in the food industry. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in food science, and has worked as a food chemist for the past two years. Previously, she worked extensively in the culinary and business fields.

• Photo: Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.
• Photo: Mational Honey Board

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