Water plays a crucial role in bakery products, affecting their texture, structure, flavor, and overall quality. It is one of the essential ingredients used in baking, and its quantity and quality are carefully controlled by bakers to achieve desired results. Water is used to hydrate the flour and form the dough. Proper hydration is essential for gluten development, which gives bread its structure and texture. The amount of water used can vary depending on the type of bread or pastry being made.

The amount of water in the dough or batter greatly affects the texture of the final product. More water generally leads to a softer and moister crumb, while less water results in a drier and firmer texture. Water also plays a role in flavor development during fermentation. It’s essential for bakers to understand the science of water in baking and how it interacts with other ingredients to achieve the desired results in their products. The precise amount of water, its temperature, and when it’s added to the recipe are all factors that can significantly impact the final outcome of bakery products.

Importance of water use in bakery products

“There is no other factor that is as important as water and difficult to determine in terms of the quality of bakery products. The amount of water added to flour in the production of bakery products is called the water lifting capacity of that flour. The amount of water to be added to the flour must be adjusted very well. Errors in the amount of water to be added to the flour cannot be easily compensated in the later stages. When excess water is added to the flour, the dough becomes sticky. On the other hand, if the amount of water added to the flour is small, a solid dough is obtained.”

When we look at the world, the fact that everywhere is covered with water reminds us every time how important water is for life. Water is the most miraculous substance on earth, which is necessary for the survival of living things and is therefore of vital importance.

The amount of water in foods is an important quality indicator. Because if the water content is high in some foods, both the quality properties change and cause deterioration by enzymes and microorganisms in a short time. For this reason, the importance of water in foods is extremely high.

Microbiological developments and chemical reactions in foods occur in the presence of free water. Again, the physical changes caused by water are related to the free water in food. In food with the same total humidity, the change of components such as fat (which cannot retain water), carbohydrates and proteins (which retain water) significantly changes water activity. Therefore, water activity is a more objective measure of fat and carbohydrate variable products than total water.

Bakery products in foods, due to their pleasant tastes and high nutritional values, have been one of the basic foodstuffs consumed with admiration from past to present. When it comes to bakery products, the first thing that comes to mind is flour and water. Then the products are varied with the added ingredients: they become bread, they become bagels, they become pastries, they become cakes, they become biscuits, they become pasta and the list goes on...

In bakery products, production begins with the preparation of dough. Raw materials are added to the dough in a certain order and continued. At this time, the most important task falls into the water.

Water is an essential ingredient that allows other components to mix in the dough, gives the dough the desired structure, ensures fermentation and is effective on the quality of the final product.

Another important role of water in bakery products is to dissolve granular components to ensure that they are well dispersed in the dough. The temperature of the dough is adjusted with water, water regulates the meeting of the substances in the mixture with each other. 

In summary, it does not end with explaining the functions of water in the dough.  For example, if the crystal sugar placed in the dough is dissolved in water and added, it is distributed more effectively in the dough. Yeast; If it is mixed with warm water, milk and sugar and left for a while, the effectiveness of yeast increases. The components added to the dough as a solution in this way seriously affect the rheological behavior of the dough and are decisive on the structural development of the final product.

Water; It is used in the production of bakery products in three states: solid (ice), liquid (as we know it) and steam.

The optimum hardness degree in waters is 50-100 ppm and the most suitable waters used in bread making are medium hard waters. Before using different waters, they should be subjected to processes such as filtration, softening, hardness removal and micro connecting rod treatment to vary according to the operation and product type to be used. 

Hard waters are not desirable due to their retarding effect on dough fermentation. In doughs where this type of water is used, the amount of yeast should be increased, malt should be added to increase the slide static activity of the dough and the yeast nutrients added to the dough should be reduced. Not all minerals in waters are effective on fermentation; Fe, Cu, Al salts, their silicates and phosphates.

Due to the fact that soft waters do not have enough effect to strengthen the dough gluten, gluten softening and as a result, soft, sticky gas production is normal but doughs with low gas retention ability are obtained. For this reason, it is not preferred in bread production. On the other hand, the water absorption detected in the use of soft water should be reduced by 2%. The short fermentation time and the fast fermentation are due to the relatively low Ph of these soft waters. In the case of using soft waters, appropriate yeast additives should be added to the formula and the salt used should be increased.

Alkaline Waters, the excess of Ca and Mg bicarbonate in natural waters causes high alkalinity. The acidity decreases as these salts neutralize the acidity that develops naturally during yeast fermentation due to the buffering effect. Harmful yeast for yeast works at 4.5-5 Ph. They therefore have a negative effect on fermentation by reducing the fermentation rate and increasing the fermentation time. The alkalinity caused by the presence of hydroxyl ions is small in natural waters. In order for yeast and enzymes to work in the dough, the environment must be in a certain Ph range. The optimum Ph range for enzymes is between 4-5. Since the presence of alkaline salts reduces acidity, it reduces the enzyme activity as well as the fermentation rate and duration. Therefore, in the case of the obligation to use alkaline water, acetic acid, lactic acid or mono calcium phosphate should be added to the medium to adjust the Ph of the dough. Also the fermentation time is extended. The yeast additives added to the dough are balanced. In doughs made with alkaline waters, water absorption is normal, bread volume is low, bread color, pore structure and texture are normal.

There is no other factor that is as important as water and difficult to determine in terms of the quality of bakery products. The amount of water added to flour in the production of bakery products is called the water lifting capacity of that flour. The amount of water to be added to the flour must be adjusted very well. Errors in the amount of water to be added to the flour cannot be easily compensated in the later stages. When excess water is added to the flour, the dough becomes sticky. Processing of such doughs by hand and in the machine becomes difficult, kneading times are increasing, fermentation times are decreasing. The external appearance and texture structures of bakery products obtained from such doughs are defective. On the other hand, if the amount of water added to the flour is small, a solid dough is obtained. The kneading time of the solid dough is reduced. The volumes of products from solid pulp are extremely small. Texture structures are tight, their shape is not as desired. 

The amount of water remaining in the final product (moisture) is also important. The amount of moisture in the final product has an effect on the shelf life and the course of microbiological activities.

After all, although water is an important component in most foodstuffs, its function in bakery products is of particular importance.

At-line dough analysis technology closes the loop on quality before baking

“Many parameters influence the mixing process, including the mixer itself, the water absorption capacity of the flour, temperature, ingredient quality, and more. Undermixing dough can result in a product that is too stiff and elastic, requires a lengthier proofing time, and does not necessarily fill the baking pan or sheet as it should. Undermixing generally produces a final product that is low in volume, dense, has poor symmetry, or collapses. Overmixing dough presents other process difficulties like an excessively sticky dough, too loose of elasticity, and others, leading to bread that has excess volume, large crumb bubbles, and other unwanted characteristics.”

All dough in baking combines flour, salt, water, and other ingredients in a recipe. While dough on its own looks a simple product, defining a good quality dough is rarely the same from one baker to the next. Not only does the product type influence the dough quality requirement – for example, a dough used to make a pastry will not have the same characteristics as a dough used to create a baguette – but regional tastes and expectations also play a more significant role in defining end-product quality and thus necessary dough properties. 

Dough quality is better defined by what the individual baker expects their dough to behave and look like. For instance, a baker has their ideal visual and textural characteristics in mind – stiffness, extensibility, elasticity, gas holding capacity, and others – and what they want to avoid – a dough that is too sticky or too dry. These variables raise the question to bakers: How do they ensure their dough has suitable characteristics before the baking process begins?

Is manual/visual observation the only answer to control dough quality?

Bakeries traditionally employ a master baker whose experience and superior understanding of the product line earn them the responsibility to make crucial decisions that ensure a successful result. Assuming the incoming flour meets its certificate of acceptance (COA) from the miller and that all other ingredients and production processes are controlled; the master baker has the training and expertise to spot the variances in dough either by seeing or touching it at various stages. They make the essential production decisions to add more or less water or adjust mixing conditions to achieve the ideal consistency, adjust the dough shaping, increase or decrease the proofing time, and other factors. 

However, the baking industry has changed significantly over the years. The most obvious observation is that production plants are larger than ever to meet increasing consumer demands. Products traditionally shaped by hand – like pointed-end baguettes, soft Ciabatta buns, pretzels, and others – are now produced in complex and high-throughput processing with sophisticated automated machines. 

Master bakers will continue to do outstanding work keeping plants running at high standards. But with the changing industry, they cannot be on-site 24/7. Furthermore, manual assessment of dough is an inherently subjective process that varies from baker to baker and can fluctuate from the same baker observing products at different times of the day. 

Applying technology to navigate a changing industry

More bakeries have begun using rheological tools traditionally used by millers to assess flour quality but in an at-line dough analysis application. One example is Mixolab 2 from KPM Analytics, a universal dough characterizer that simulates the constraints a dough experiences in baking. While the instrument does not say whether a dough is good or bad for producing a specific product, it applies objective numbers to the traditional “hand-feel” of the master baker. 

For many at-line applications, objective data on a dough’s resistance to mixing is acquired in about two minutes simply by removing a piece of dough from the line and inserting it into the machine. With this objective measurement, the baker can align their observations with a data profile to ensure an ideal final product, helping reduce waste, improve consistency, and develop more robust standards that can extend throughout the plant. 

Controlling dough quality during the mixing process

Mixing is arguably the most critical part of the baking process. The mechanical process of combining liquid and dry ingredients introduces air to the dough, impacting not only the dough characteristics, but also the dough structure during the fermentation process (dough rising). 

Many parameters influence the mixing process, including the mixer itself, the water absorption capacity of the flour, temperature, ingredient quality, and more. Undermixing dough can result in a product that is too stiff and elastic, requires a lengthier proofing time, and does not necessarily fill the baking pan or sheet as it should. Undermixing generally produces a final product that is low in volume, dense, has poor symmetry, or collapses. Overmixing dough presents other process difficulties like an excessively sticky dough, too loose of elasticity, and others, leading to bread that has excess volume, large crumb bubbles, and other unwanted characteristics. 

Figure 1: Using a universal dough characterizer like Mixolab 2, this doughnut producer routinely checks their dough to ensure their formulations meet target profiles. The at-line test produces trustworthy results in this particular protocol, typically under five minutes.

Typically, the baker will take a sample of the dough after mixing to manually assess factors, again relying on their expertise to determine dough meets quality standards. 

By developing a universal dough characterizer protocol, the baker can apply their manual dough analysis to check that the dough falls within an acceptable criteria level to produce the final product. This technology offers a second opinion to the baker, helping verify their decision to either advance to later stages in the process or rework/discard the dough before more problems occur. 

As shown in Figure 1, in under two minutes of testing, a doughnut producer can determine quickly whether their dough will produce an ideal product after mixing based on a target profile developed for their product line. 

Controlling dough quality across different processing lines

For bakeries with multiple production lines, it is always a challenge to ensure all lines produce top-quality products with no noticeable differences. Even if each process line uses the exact equipment calibrated to desired specifications, there are still variables in the process that may go undetected by the baker or production operator.

Again, a universal dough characterizer can become a powerful tool to align their process throughout the production facility. Based on the baker’s knowledge of the operating lines, they can pull a sample of one dough from one line and compare dough characteristics against an ideal standard for that specific line (for example, the baker may know that to achieve a good product from Line A, the dough should be stiffer than the dough for Line B). Based on the data and their expertise, the operator can quickly adjust the recipe or mechanical aspects of the production line to unify dough quality before proceeding to later stages in the process. Figure 2 shows an example of this comparison data. 

Controlling dough quality after resting (proofing)

A dough’s characteristics also change during the proofing process. Even with a perfectly controlled mixing process, outside factors like the temperature and humidity of the proofing chambers can affect the proofing time necessary to create an ideal final product. 

A universal dough characterizer also offers another way to assess dough characteristics at this critical stage. Like the mixing step, just before the dough proceeds to the oven, the baker or operator can take a sample of the dough as a final measure to ensure the dough still adheres to standards and achieves a successful fermentation process. This application effectively closes the loop on dough quality control without requiring a lot of extra effort by the baker or production operator.

Where bakeries can begin developing stronger standards for dough quality control

Technologies like the Mixolab 2 dough characterizer aim to avoid adding more burden or responsibility to the quality control process but to apply quantifiable data to support the baker’s manual assessment practices. This starts by adopting the specifications that meet one baker’s needs. Even though millers or cereal/grain scientists have been the primary users of these tools, the good news is that the baker does not need to have a cereal science background to interpret the data. 

Every baker’s process is unique, so there is only sometimes a one-solution-fits-all approach to addressing dough handling quality challenges. To begin, quality and production teams should align to decide on the specifications for the ideal final product (size, color, volume, crumb, etc.). Developing these protocols requires testing multiple dough samples with the dough characterizer at different stages to build an ideal product formulation protocol based on the specific step in the process. These stages may differ depending on the bakery’s product type. Still, because the baker, quality assurance, and production teams know their products better than anyone else, they will typically know where the analysis support is necessary. 

By better understanding the process and what dough makes a good product it becomes then way easier to compare the well-performing flour characteristics vs the non-well-performing and establish COAs based on one’s baker requirements. Of course, developing these standards takes time, but the effort pays back significantly in the form of reduced waste, improved product consistency, and stronger brand standards. 

Biosolutions transform consumer insights into innovation

“Paying attention to what we eat is a trend that has grown rapidly with the pandemic. That is, consumers are opening their minds before their mouths. Consumers are more conscious about their choices and more strongly believe that eating the right food can be the best medicine. Figures show that 60% of consumers check a product’s ingredient list and 67% want products to be as natural as possible.”

Today, the meaning of the experience that consumers expect from a loaf of bread is much deeper and more connected to the human senses. Consumers want a pleasant experience, a fresh product, a sustainable production model and a brand from the bakery sector, all at an affordable cost. At the same time, the population that needs to be fed is growing at a dizzying pace. However, is it possible to meet both consumer expectations and the world’s need for efficiency and sustainability at the same time?

Yes, it is. We can both meet consumer expectations and build a sustainable model that our world needs. The solution lies in biosolutions!”

The industry benefits of enzymes in the process of adapting to consumer insights and needs are countless.

Today, wheat, which was processed with stones when it first appeared, is the first link in a value chain that extends to value-added end products with the latest technology.

While the journey of wheat as it turns into a product is planned by skilled masters, dedicated food engineers and inspired marketing teams, it is our consumers who really determine what kind of product the flour will come out of the oven as. It is the needs and expectations of our consumers that shape the bakery products. It is the consumer who pays for the added value that flour transforms throughout its journey, and therefore flour is shaped based on the needs and expectations of consumers. It is important to know what the consumer wants to successfully offer the right product to the market.

Flour can take on many shapes, consistencies and flavors. So what does the flour produced turn into? Flatbreads such as traditional Turkish bazlama and pide, pita bread, loaves of bread, cakes, various pastries, desserts, tarts, frozen baked goods, pasta and noodles.

The three regions with the highest consumption are Europe, Middle East and Latin America... Cost-effectiveness is a major trend especially in this region and intersects with consumer insights.

The categories with the highest market share across bakery products are the unpackaged bread segments.

Euromonitor’s 2027 projection predicts growth in all categories.

Particularly packaged & unpackaged flat bread and pasta & noodles are expected to grow significantly.

In short, consumers have many options when it comes to flour and bakery products, which are constantly growing.

Within all this product and category diversity, understanding the consumer and putting forward business plans accordingly becomes extremely important in order to take a step forward and grow the categories.

The consumer behaves more selectively in inflationary environments

Talking about consumer insights, it is also necessary to talk about the challenging factors. I should mention that the top global factor affecting consumer behavior is inflation. In inflationary environments, consumers become more price sensitive.

Product price has now become the No. 1 factor affecting household spending. Consumers today have to be smarter than ever about their spending strategy because there are more categories they think they need than ever before.

To optimize their spending, they have to cut back and choose among categories. The reductions in their spending can be uneven across product categories, leaving some industries more vulnerable to changing consumer behavior than others.

And consequently, we can see that consumers are going out and eating out less. They are no longer buying textiles. We observe them going to many supermarkets to find the best price for a product and doing internet research or switching to more convenient brands. So being able to stay in the shopping cart is very important today. Now, in addition to competition between brands, competition between categories comes to the fore.

Consumers prioritize happiness, health and sustainability

In my opinion, the prosperity of human life depends on environmental impacts as much as mental and physical health. Besides their own welfare and sensory expectations, we see that the activities of organizations that use the world’s limited resources effectively play an essential role in consumers’ preferences. Bread has a special place in this whole scenario.

By its very nature, bread is one of the least affected categories in times of economic recession; with high household consumption and a significant share in daily eating habits, bread continues to be one of the staples of the consumer. Yet how long can we sustain this situation, given so many compelling influences?

Currently, we see a difference in the existing outlook due to rising wheat prices, material and energy costs. So how can the bakery value chain be positioned to adapt to the changing environment? This is where we need to listen to consumer trends. 

Following are the most important consumer trends that should be taken into account in R&D studies across the value chain in the entire bakery industry. The 21st century is an era in which individuals seek absolute happiness, and to find happiness, we leave no stone unturned and adopt every experience. Of course, one of the places where we seek happiness is through our palates. On the other hand, consumers are shifting away from regarding food as a mere need for calories and nutrients, and increasingly recognize food as an opportunity for experience in terms of taste and texture.

Paying attention to what we eat is a trend that has grown rapidly with the pandemic. That is, consumers are opening their minds before their mouths. Consumers are more conscious about their choices and more strongly believe that eating the right food can be the best medicine. Figures show that 60% of consumers check a product’s ingredient list and 67% want products to be as natural as possible.

So what does this mean? It means that consumers want to reduce sugar, fat and salt consumption and consume more fiber, whole wheat and beneficial grains, while moving away from additives and preservatives. 47% of consumers are willing to pay a premium price for natural and healthy bread. So if you’ve been thinking about cleaning up your label and making it easier to understand, now is the time - the next generation of cleaner label products will likely need to go beyond making claims and actually ‘prove’ their naturalness. In 2022, when we take a deep dive into bread launches around the world;

Among the launches, 32% are free of additives/preservatives, 16% are whole grain, 13% contain reduced allergens or allergen-free, and 10% are high/added fiber. 

In other words, half of the new launches have a healthy claim. The bakery industry needs to adapt to meet this demand, as food is no longer just seen as a source of nutrition, but as an active contributor to better health.

There is another trend: Consumers feel responsible for the problems the world is facing and want to take action with their decisions to fulfill their responsibilities. 1/3 of the world’s food is wasted. Waste occurs at every stage of the value chain: starting from production to retail and distribution to households. The majority of waste occurs at the consumer level, and 61% of consumers feel responsible for reducing food waste to the best possible level. Consumers think about waste in two ways: Consumers are increasingly realizing that the actions they take to make a positive impact and live more sustainably have an impact on the environment, and that actions that reduce food waste are a priority for the future of the environment. In this regard, consumers expect companies to take initiatives to improve the environment and almost all believe it is important for companies to take initiatives to reduce their environmental footprint. Consumer expectations are rising in this area and this is a call to brands and retailers to help consumers make these choices in their lives.

We should focus on efficiency rather than expansion

Given limited resources, it is almost impossible for our world to withstand this pressure for the long term. We need to focus on efficiency instead of expansion. I can say that enzymes are the answer to realizing both consumer expectations and the world’s need for efficiency and sustainability at the same time.

Major changes in enzymes for the consumer and the brand can start with small steps like enzymes. Thanks to Novozymes’ biosolutions, we help keep bakery products fresh longer and reduce food waste. 

You can start with small steps, like enzymes, to create big changes for the world, the consumer and your brand. For example, the annual carbon footprint of food waste and loss is 3.3 billion tons, and most of the world’s food waste comes from households. Our biosolutions help keep baked goods fresher for longer and reduce food waste. For example, our Novamyl® family of freshness preservation solutions has prevented an estimated 80 billion loaves of bread from going to waste to date. This equates to an estimated saving of 45 million tons of CO². The difference and impact of enzymes on a microscopic scale is huge.

Through the latest bioinnovation based on micro-organisms, enzymes and precision proteins, we are creating solutions that help businesses in the bakery industry strike a balance between performance, cost and sustainability.

Be it an exceptional sensory experience, a healthier profile, more cost-effective, flexible operations or a smaller environmental footprint, we have the perfect recipe for it all. In the bakery industry, we have a portfolio that is fully aligned with consumer insights. This enables us to produce fresher and more appealing baked goods by addressing consumers’ search for sensory experiences. With dough-enhancing enzymes, we match the cost-efficiency and performance of emulsifiers, helping to improve bread quality with flavorful, soft and elastic texture, improved crust appearance and internal structure. On the other hand, with enzymes, we also enable our customers to have a cleaner label. We also ensure smoother dough processing and prevent volatility in flour quality thanks to our biosolutions developed for affordability and operational flexibility. We play a role in realizing high quality product consistency, preventing dough stickiness and helping to strengthen the gluten network.

No single initiative can transform the future of our world on its own, we can only build our tomorrow in a more sustainable way “Together”. At Novozymes, we firmly believe that only “Together” can we realize the impact that will create change. We find biological answers “Together” with all our stakeholders for better lives in a growing world. Across 30 industries and 140 countries, our customer uses our biosolutions to improve the lives of billions of people every day, enabling their businesses to create high-performance products, cost efficiency and sustainability of our planet.