ERNST BÖCKER
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Sourdough fermentation and the cold trick Many companies ferment their sourdoughs themselves with the use of appropriate starter cultures and thus achieve good quality. Now here comes into play the second limiting factor for which a solution is needed. A major problem in the automation of sourdough fermentation is the dependence of the linear process of bakery production on the logarithm of sourdough fermentation, i.e. the ever faster increasing amount of acid in the fermentation. Let's imagine the processes of dough preparation to the finished pastry: First, the ingredients must be weighed, then the dough must be made, divided and formed into the appropriate pastry. Not to forget the resting periods in a defined atmosphere. This is followed by baking and then either cooling or freezing, and finally packaging. This process contains a large number of steps, each of which can lead to delays in production due to a wide variety of causes. If the sourdough is now fermented
automatically with a precisely defined time frame and such a time delay occurs, this is extremely unfavorable for the sourdough. It is essential that the fermentation time is adhered to under constant conditions in order to maintain and ensure good quality. The sourdough would have to be discarded and restarted, and the entire production would have to wait for a new sourdough batch. The delays that could occur would be economically unsustainable. Bakeries have faced exactly this problem in the past. The solution that was then found seems so simple: cooling! By cooling down the finished sourdough, fermentation is slowed down and thus the dependence of bakery production on sourdough production. In this way, the entire process has become more flexible and the risk of a production standstill has been minimized. The attached figure shows the separation of the processes by cooling. When looking at the figure, however, it is important to note that such a process depends on many factors and can only be shown here in a very condensed form. Nevertheless, it clearly shows that cooling is the solution for more time buffer. Sourdough = flexibility Another way to react flexibly in baked goods production with regard to sourdough is to expand the use of sourdough in baked goods. As already mentioned, in the wheat sector the quality of baked goods can be significantly improved by
C O M PA N Y R E P O R T S
BÖCKER – the sourdough specialist recommends using mild sourdough in wheat baked goods. This improves the quality of baked goods by guaranteeing, depending on the choice of sourdough, a mildly sour, fruity flavor and, in any case, improved crumb elasticity and sliceability of the breads, as well as longer freshness. [1] In the case of an already (fully) automated plant, the addition of sourdough to the recipe then turns the process planning upside down from scratch – if the sourdough itself is fermented! As a solution, BÖCKER offers inactive ready-to-use sourdoughs. These products are available in liquid and powder form and can be added directly to the dough. Especially in the case of long-life baked goods, the use of ready-to-use products is a safe method to improve the quality of the baked goods. By inactivating the sourdough, post-souring of the dough is prevented.
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of over 180, as we know it, for example, from “handmade” doughs such as ciabatta or baguette. But how does the subject of sourdough fit into automated processes?
