Artisan bakers take pride in the exceptional quality of their breads and the time put into crafting them. But those producing frozen artisan doughs may be at greater risk of that product quality being diminished.

“Fermentation prior to freezing has a damaging impact on frozen doughs in addition to the negative effects of freezing and frozen storage,” said Becky Regan, principal scientist, sweet goods applications, IFF. “If the doughs are fermented prior to freezing, it may be necessary to add higher levels of hydrocolloids and use a combination of hydrocolloids with emulsifiers and/or enzymes.”

Artisan breads typically feature high water absorption rates, between 68% and 74%, said Jerry Savino, technical services manager, bakery, Kemin Food Technologies. While this is fine in finished products or par-baked ones, it poses problems in frozen doughs, as freezing results in ice crystals that can damage the gluten network and product integrity. 

“Adding gums, hydrocolloids and modified starches helps artisan bakers tackle this challenge in frozen dough formulation by binding water and inhibiting crystallization from occurring,” Savino explained. “This helps in thawing and maintaining the shape/form of products so it can properly proof and bake as other frozen products would.”

While there is no concrete definition of artisan bread, many artisan bakers and consumers expect these breads to be made with minimal ingredients, which may be at odds with the addition of dough conditioners like these. However, Jenn Adams, director of ingredient technology and applications, IFPC, noted ingredients like enzymes and hydrocolloids can still be used while maintaining clean label appeal.

“Hydrocolloids can benefit frozen dough formulations by allowing bakers to use more innocuous-sounding ingredients like gum Arabic or locust bean gum in place of more chemical sounding dough conditioners,” she said.

This article is an excerpt from the September 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Texture, click here.