Miller Magazine Issue: 147 March 2022

108 ARTICLE MILLER / march 2022 Precision is an important aspect in the baking process. From managing the quality of ingredients used in a reci- pe to controlling the baking temperature, time, and other stages in the baking process, there are several quan- tifiable factors that affect the outcome of a product’s texture, flavor, density, appearance, and other traits that consumers notice. All baked goods are the result of flour being trans- formed into a product of some kind, so it is no surprise that flour quality is essential to the baking process. How- ever, it may be a surprise to some just how certain flour quality properties can differ from batch-to-batch. HOW DO YOU DETERMINE IF A FLOUR IS GOOD OR BAD? Rather than thinking of flour in terms of “good” or “bad,” it is better to think in terms of whether a specific batch of flour will “fit” your process or “adapt” to produce your desired product. Unless there are obvious defects in the flour, it may be nearly impossible to visually as- sess flour quality from one batch to the next. As a result, the only real way to know whether a batch of flour will be a good “fit” for your product is to put it through the constraints that a dough would undergo through its pro- duction process. Also, a single batch of flour could contain specific quality parameters to produce one product better than another. For instance – assuming that all other stages of the baking process are controlled – one batch of flour may have the properties ideal for producing pan bread, but it could be a less-than-ideal flour for producing noo- dles, pizza dough, cookies, and others. This means, based on your baking process and the product you are creating, you should be aiming for a specific flour “profile” that is suitable for your desired fi- nal product. WHAT PARAMETERS DETERMINE FLOUR QUALITY? Traditionally, flour quality has been measured based on protein content, amylase activity, and dough rheology (including water absorption and dough behavior), among other parameters. But it’s important to keep in mind that flour specifications are not static, and that many of the Rather than thinking of flour in terms of “good” or “bad,” it is better to think in terms of whether a specific batch of flour will “fit” your process or “adapt” to produce your desired product…Nobody knows your product better than you. When it comes to controlling flour quality, incorporating a fast, insightful, and easy-to-use tool to determine an ideal flour profile that you can use to benchmark every flour delivery is your best option. What is a good flour? Arnaud Dubat KPM Analytics Product & Applications Director CHOPIN Product Brand Lena Bosc-Bierne KPM Analytics Products &Applications Specialist CHOPIN Product Brand