When it comes to making panned breads truly special, seeds provide premium flavor, texture and nutrition, but they also require pre-hydration and handling with care.

“If these grains are sprouted, then the enzyme activity can make doughs sticky, which may be a good thing when enrobing them with seeds,” said Jay Fernandez, manager of Middleby’s Bakery Innovation Center. “The Burford enrober uses no water, so we prefer a slightly tacky dough.”

Hans Besems, executive product manager for AMF Tromp, an AMF Bakery Systems brand, said targeted seeding and spraying also prevents waste.

“To achieve a combination of different seeds on one product, you’ll need a so-called train of sequential automated seeding stations, one behind the other,” he noted.

Mélanie Salvi, equipment product manager, Mecatherm, pointed out that the size of seeds, which range from small sesame and poppy seeds to larger sunflower and pumpkin seeds, require quick changeover systems in an industrial setting. Mecatherm’s system, she added, relies on an accurate depositing of seeds to control costs.

To completely enrobe loaves with seeds, Mark Rosenberg, chief executive officer, Gemini Bakery Equipment/KB Systems, said, Gemini/W&P offers the DecoSeeder unit that can apply a large volume of seeds efficiently and can be paired with a reclaim system to automatically refill the depositor.

“Because the DecoSeeder is separate from the moulder, it offers additional flexibility for multiple seed types and can even enrobe the ends of the loaves with seeds,” he said. “With the high cost of topping materials, eliminating waste is a key requirement for bakers.”

WP Bakery Group USA also offers the DecoSeeder, which can be integrated into existing lines and decorates pan and free-form breads at rates up to 4,200 pieces an hour.

“Different seeds and bread toppings can be processed with a more efficient use of the decoration material, less waste in the production area and with more even distribution of the seeds as well,” said Patricia Kennedy, president, WP Bakery Group USA.

With the latest advances in technology, bakers can provide consumers the best of both worlds with specialty panned breads that come in a sandwich-friendly format.

This article is an excerpt from the October 2020 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on specialty pan bread, click here.