PROBLEM: Incorporating whole grains in bakery products without sacrificing appearance, texture or flavor.

SOLUTION: Introduce whole grains to your formulas in small increments.

Despite recommendations to consume at least three servings of whole grains per day, studies have shown that consumers eat far less. One of the big hurdles of incorporating whole grains in bakery products is the change in appearance, texture and flavor that some consumers object to.

Increasing the percent of whole wheat flour and decreasing the percent of refined white flour in small steps gradually adjusts customers to whole grains. Bay State Milling's GrainEssentials^® White Whole Wheat Flour Extra Fine is a whole wheat flour that resembles refined white flour in flavor, appearance and dough handling but with whole grain nutrition. Another option is fine granules of traditional whole wheat flour, milled from hard red winter or spring wheat.

Start by replacing 5 to 10 percent of the refined white flour with whole wheat flour. As the product gains customer acceptance, increase the whole wheat flour to 15 to 20 percent of the total flour. From a production viewpoint, one of the benefits of the incremental approach is that some simple formula and production adjustments are all that's required.

FORMULA ADJUSTMENTS

If the white flour used has good strength and tolerance, it will support small amounts of whole wheat flour. As the percentage of whole wheat flour increases, switching to a stronger, more tolerant flour may be necessary. To minimize the number of flours, some bakers will choose to add vital wheat gluten (VWG). To determine the amount of gluten to add, assume 1 percent of VWG (based on flour weight) increases the protein content of the flour by 0.6 percent.

Whole wheat flours will absorb more water but at a slightly slower rate. As a rule of thumb, increase the dough absorption 1 percent for every 10 percent of whole wheat flour substituted. Dough density will increase as the percentage of whole wheat flour increases. To maintain a similar bread density, it may be necessary to add or increase the dough strengtheners or oxidation systems in the formula. Other options include increasing the scaling weight of the dough piece or using a smaller pan size. At low amounts of whole wheat flour, these adjustments may not even be necessary.

PRODUCTION ADJUSTMENTS

Due to the dilution of gluten forming proteins and the slower hydration rate of whole wheat flours, the dough requires lower mixing speeds and increased mix times. Mixing tolerance is determined by the amount of whole wheat flour added and the quality (strength) of the white flour used.

Small percentages of whole wheat flour will not require an adjustment to bake times and temperatures, but as the percentage increases, a lower baking temperature and slightly longer bake time will improve loaf volume.