Savory Bakery Sensations

Flat breads exploding with garlic and basil, scones crunching to the tune of nuts and seeds, and focaccia bursting with flavors from the old country — these are just some of the flavorful bakery sensations that have been invading coffee and sandwich shops, restaurants, in-store bakeries and even institutional foodservice venues in the past few years. This food-industry-wide effort provides consumers with unique layers of flavors in everyday bakery products.

In the past, flavorful ingredients added to bakery products were typically characterized as sweet, thus positioning the bakery product as a dessert rather than as a meal accompaniment or a snack. However, when dining became a form of entertainment in the 1990s, the bakery industry exerted a concentrated effort to satisfy the taste buds of the increasingly diverse U.S. population, and the savory-baked-goods category took off.

What comprises a savory baked good? “It’s no longer garlic bread. It’s roasted-garlic bread with herbed cheese,” says Reid Wilkerson, president, McClancy Seasoning Co., Fort Mill, SC. “The challenge we face is to determine new savory-flavor trends and then identify ways to develop and offer flavors and flavor combinations to bakers that will deliver a consumer-appealing end result.”

While numerous flavor ideas undoubtedly are yet to be marketed, bakeries are extremely cautious to introduce new ones, oftentimes waiting to see how a particular savory flavor performs in another food segment, such as condiments, sauces or entrées, before trying it in the bakery. However, there are risk-takers with offerings running the gamut, from Parmesan herb French bread to carrot polenta cracked-wheat muffins. Other unique layers of flavors include olive country herb, lavender hazelnut, nut honey herb, Parmesan peppercorn and sesame wine.

“Flavors tend to cross over into the commercial-bakery industry from foodservice, particularly establishments on the West Coast,” says Debbie Jarrettbangs, global marketing manager, savory, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF), Dayton, NJ. “Restaurants are willing to try new tastes and flavor combinations. However, in general, it takes a while for those California-bistro ideas to make their way to New York and Chicago restaurants, and even longer for them to make it to the grocery aisle.”

The most effortless and efficient way to provide bakery products with desirable tastes and aromas is by adding extracts or concentrates, either liquid or dry.

“A flavor can take the place of an ingredient such as garlic,” says Mitchell Duffy, project leader, bakery and cereal, David Michael & Co., Inc., Philadelphia. “Doing so reduces the amount of space a baker needs to store raw materials, and it also provides ease of handling and eliminates weighing issues. With flavors, there also aren’t any problems with rancidity or staling.”

However, bakers shouldn’t steer completely away from particulates — the bits and pieces that provide visual flavor cues — as consumers often taste with their eyes. For many, seeing is believing. A sun-dried-tomato bagel can possess excellent flavor lent by an extract; however, without actual sun-dried-tomato pieces, the consumer doesn’t believe it is a sun-dried-tomato bagel.

“Savory seasonings are an excellent way to enhance the flavor of baked goods while adding visual appeal,” says Allison Berridge, product development manager, WILD Flavors (Canada) Inc., Mississauga, Ontario. “Blending a combination of savory particulates, such as granulated onion, garlic or pepper, herbs and spices, cheese powders and other savory-ingredient powders, results in a savory seasoning.”

Berridge advises that when developing a seasoning, consider how the ingredients will react together during the baking cycle. “For example, if whey powder is used as filler in a seasoning, and sugar is added to the dough, this could lead to excessive browning. Also, some savory particulates can burn during the baking cycle if exposed to excessive heat and/or long baking cycles,” she says.

Duffy adds, “Flavor extracts help standardize the flavor in seasonings and particulates, especially in vegetable pieces, as flavor characteristics can vary from one growing season to the next.”Experimentation is required to determine how different particulates and seasonings perform in bakery-product applications, as well as how they withstand the baking cycle. “When particulates are added to yeast doughs, it is typically necessary to add more yeast, as the dough needs more power to rise,” says Carl Volz, national sales manager, Kerry Specialty Ingredients North America, Beloit, WI.

“The granulation of savory particulates should also be considered during the development of a savory seasoning,” Berridge adds. “If the dough is going to be reduced in thickness, granulation size is very important. For example, granulation size may interfere with dough if it is cut into individual pieces.”

Besides particulate size, composition is crucial, too. “Using low-moisture particulates is quite important in the bakery industry,” says Wilkerson. “If too much water is present, the chance of yeast and mold growth increases, and thus shelf life decreases. High-moisture particulates will also negatively affect the texture of bakery products.”

Understanding flavors and seasonings is tricky business, especially when it involves high baking temperatures. It is important that bakers work with suppliers, providing information such as the basic formula, baking process and shelf-life expectations, since significant differences exist in flavor volatility, as well as moisture and pH tolerance.

For example, “Chiles darken during baking, so it is best to use lighter-colored chile particulates if they are going to be blended into the dough and subjected to the entire baking process,” Wilkerson says.Sometimes the solution is as simple as choosing one variety of an ingredient over another, or identifying the best time and method to add flavors or particulates to dough. Other times, the desired flavor profile might only be obtainable if the flavor or seasoning is added topically after baking.

“Flavors can be dissolved in a water base and sprayed onto a bakery product after it cools out of the oven,” says Lisa Radle-Godkin, senior food technologist, bakery applications, IFF. “This provides upfront flavors and assists with aromatic notes.”

Volz concurs: “Topical application of flavor ingredients is more common today than ever before. Not only does this method provide strong flavor release and visual identity, it helps bakers better control allergens, as ingredient usage can be better contained.”

When applying ingredients topically, flavor concentrates can be dissolved in water or oil and sprayed on after baking. When the goal is to include particulates, such as nuts, seeds, herbs or dried, diced vegetables, effective adhesives can include sprayed-on simple syrup, applied before or after baking, or brushed-on egg applied before baking. Egg, in particular, is effective on bakery-product surfaces. Not only does it help ingredients to adhere, it also provides a golden-brown color after baking.

When adding flavors to dough, “The baking temperature and residence time in the oven can affect the volatile components of some flavors, causing the flavor to flash off during baking,” Berridge says. She also suggests conducting several bake tests to determine how the flavor or seasoning withstands the baking cycle and the appropriate level needed to provide a flavor boost.

Radle-Godkin recommends using flavors with dehydrated or freeze-dried particulates to obtain a lengthy, flavorful shelf life. “This enables a formulator to build in strong flavor notes and balance complexity,” she says.

Innovative ingredient-processing techniques, such as encapsulation, ensure the intensity and functionality of concentrated flavors not only during mixing and baking, but also throughout the product’s shelf life. Encapsulation provides a protective coating to flavorants, stabilizing against volatility and prolonging their shelf life. It enables bakers to control the specific time or temperature release of flavors, and prevents flavors and aromas from interacting with other components in a bakery product’s matrix.

One method of encapsulation involves spray-drying a flavor dissolved in either a fat- or water-soluble solution, essentially entrapping it in a granular dry ingredient. With another method, extrusion encapsulation, the flavor is extruded with an encapsulating ingredient coating the outside, protecting it from the environment. This form of encapsulation is very effective in preventing flavors from oxidizing. By contrast, some of the flavor material in spray-dried products is exposed to the atmosphere, either on the particle surface or via pores in the encasing layer, and thus is more prone to oxidation.

As mentioned, encapsulating materials are either fat- or water-soluble. The nature of a particular flavor, and its intended application, dictate the design of the encapsulation system. The most-stable flavors are spray-dried after being put into a water-soluble solution, and quickly release when added to an aqueous medium. For delayed release, flavors should be encapsulated in a hydrophobic medium, such as a high-melting-point fat, which won’t release these flavors until the product is baked.

Extrusion encapsulation is typically used with extremely volatile and oxidative flavors, such as blue cheese, and on ingredients that discolor when heated. For example, basil, a primary seasoning in pesto, changes color when exposed to heat. By using an encapsulated pesto powder in dough, a baker protects the flavor and avoids discoloration.

For some consumers, seeing is all about smell. Balchem Encapsulates, New Hampton, NY, offers an encapsulated fresh-bread flavor based on artificial and natural yeast flavors, and used in chemical-leavened bread mixes. It provides dough with the fresh-bread taste associated with yeast-raised products by releasing aromatics. Another popular application is in par-baked products for foodservice.

Although cinnamon is associated more with sweet bakery products than savory ones, it is important to note the role of encapsulation in regards to the spice, as bakers who experiment with different ethnic spices and seasonings may encounter a similar situation. Cinnamon inhibits yeast, and thus can negatively affect end-product quality, yielding smaller, inconsistent bakery products. Encapsulation prevents cinnamon from interacting with yeast until the dough is baking in the oven.

Another method that protects flavorants is embedding the flavor system in a matrix designed to melt or dissolve when exposed to heat and/or moisture. The ingredient can take the form of a flake, nugget, chip or similar particulate that can then be added to the baked good. “High-fat flavor systems are very functional in bakery products, as they are low in moisture and the fat protects the flavor from dissipating,” says Volz.

Kerry Specialty Ingredients manufactures high-fat flavored nuggets, chips and bits, each with unique functionalities and applications in bakery products. “When baked in a dough, the nuggets, bits and chips maintain their identity,” says Ashley Wike, technical sales support. “They are shelf-stable, dry-mix-compatible and very easy to handle.”The nuggets, basically flavors and seasonings compressed with fat and starch, require hydration and heat to melt out. The compound-coating chips are only fat-based, and designed to melt at 100°F.

“The compound chips provide great particulate identity, with a nice melted appearance,” says Wike. “We also offer KerryBITS® to the baking industry. They are very durable in the process of making dough and will not smear out when the dough rises, nor during sheeting of the dough.

The company offers nuggets, chips and bits in a wide range of sizes and can customize them to meet customer specifications for flavor, or formulate them with dairy solids and cheese flavor to simulate diced natural cheese. “They provide great cheese flavor without adding moisture,” Wike notes. “The particulates are also much more identifiable than real pieces of cheese.”

That’s not to say that bakers can’t add actual cheese to an application. Plenty of options exist for those who want the cachet of real cheese for marketing and labeling their products. “Bread and cheese have been savored together for centuries,” says Dana Tanyeri, director, national product communications, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Madison. “Cheese is a natural addition to all savory breads.”

Historically, mild orange cheeses have satisfied consumers’ desire for cheese flavor in bakery products. However, today’s consumers want more — more cheese varieties, more flavor blends and more sharpness. Cheese adds color, flavor and wholesomeness, and positions the bakery product as an upscale item.

When adding cheese ingredients, a baker must first determine if the finished product requires cheese particulates, and then, the flavor-profile intensity. This dictates the type of cheese ingredient.Bakers have many cheese-ingredient options available, and most allow for use of the phrase “made with real cheese.” This is a very broad descriptor, and includes any cheese or ingredient made from cheese that is qualified by a standard of identity in the Code of Federal Regulations.

In general, natural cheese, also called block cheese, is made directly from cultured milk that is coagulated by enzymes, followed by whey draining and curd pressing. Pasteurized process cheeses — pasteurized process “cheese,” “cheese food,” “cheese spread” and “cheese product” — all combine one or more varieties of natural cheese with other ingredients that provide flavor and function. The percentage of cheese vs. other ingredients determines the product category.

Pasteurized process cheeses are made by blending all ingredients, which are then melted, stirred, formed and packaged. This system allows for a variety of color and flavor intensities, with uniform melt that can vary from restricted to easy. Unlike natural cheese — a living system in which functional and physical properties change over time — process cheese has a consistent shelf life.

Bakery products can use any of these federally defined cheeses, as well as ingredients made from natural cheese, such as cheese powders and enzyme-modified cheese (EMC). Because cheese powders — also referred to as dried or dehydrated cheese and even as cheese flavor — can be made from any type or types of natural cheese, they are available in hundreds of flavors, colors and formulations. They can consist of only cheese, or of a blend of cheese with other functional ingredients, such as emulsifiers, flavors, colors, whey or nonfat dry milk. The drying process halts the aging process of natural cheese and stabilizes the flavor, which otherwise can change over time. These natural cheeses or cheese blends are spray-dried to yield free-flowing powders with a moisture content of 3% to 5%.

“Cheese powders offer product developers a cost-efficient, great-tasting alternative to block cheese,” says Tanyeri. Virtually moisture-free, they work well in applications where added moisture is undesirable, such as bakery products. “In particular, they can be used in dry bread mixes, an application where shredded-cheese usage is not feasible,” she notes. They also do not require refrigeration, making storage easy, and have a longer shelf life than other cheese forms.

Cheese powders incorporate readily into dough and come in a variety of flavors. Usage levels range from 3% to 8%, depending on the cheese powder’s flavor strength and the desired flavor profile for the finished product. Powders are added directly into the dough prior to baking.

EMCs are special flavor ingredients that blend lipases with natural cheese to intensify the effect of cheese flavor development. They come in paste or powder form, and provide consistent flavor profiles that can be used to standardize cheese flavor in food applications. Formulators use EMCs mostly with natural cheese, enabling them to decrease natural-cheese usage levels, and providing cost savings without compromising cheese flavor.

Some natural cheeses can be used in breads, but their moisture content, which varies, often limits the amount. Asiago and Parmesan have maximum moisture contents of 32%, while Cheddar has 39% and blue has 46%. When exposed to baking temperatures, the moisture evaporates and the natural cheese pieces lose their visual identity. Pasteurized process cheese, though almost 50% moisture, can be formulated with other ingredients to withstand melting, thus maintaining piece identity. With either cheese type, the cheese should be folded into the dough right before baking to avoid over-mixing, which causes the cheese to smear.

The cheese in the dough is typically safe from oxidation and browning. Pieces exposed to the surface will usually brown, but most consumers find this acceptable, similar to mozzarella browning on top of pizza. If product designers prefer that the cheese melt on top of the bakery item, as in the case of Asiago bagels, it should be added near the very end of the baking process, to avoid burning.

For consumers who need to see to believe, cheese piece identity is important, particularly with upscale bakery items. But natural cheese’s moisture content limits its usage levels, and even when used at very high levels, it is not always possible to ensure the presence of particulates. So, bakers often turn to melt-restricted, or high-melt, pasteurized process-cheese pieces. These pieces become soft, appearing almost melted in dough when baked. Unlike natural cheese, however, they do not migrate.

Similar to nuggets, chips and bits, many options exist when developing flavor profiles with melt-restricted cheeses. For example, ethnic flavors, such as pesto, can be added to a Provolone melt-restricted, pasteurized process cheese. In general, 6% to 8% cheese is added to dough for even distribution and good cheese flavor.Cheese powders also have application in bakery products, but maintaining their flavor is challenging. The powders do inexpensively color dough a shade of orange, that suggests the flavor of cheese. Because flavor intensity and price vary among cheese powders, identifying the target flavor profile is important. In general, a baker will add 3% to 7% cheese powder to dough.

When dealing with a dairy-based ingredient in bakery products, be aware of lactose, which contributes to browning. Some browning is desirable, but too much can be unappetizing.

Because most dairy flavors, including butter, buttermilk and even sour cream, are volatile at baking temperatures, product designers should blend them in an oil or fat base to help preserve the flavor. “Sometimes what works best is a combination of using cheese powder in the overall dough matrix and cheese nuggets, chips or bits for particulates,” concludes Wike.

Beyond Cheddar, the most common cheeses used in savory breads are those with an ethnic flair. Italian cuisine — and its cheeses — continue to be very fashionable. Other flavors associated with Italian cooking include basil, garlic, olive, oregano, rosemary, spinach and tomato. These, in any combination, turn ordinary bakery products into gourmet, specialty items.

“Flavor systems for savory breads follow the trends of today’s cuisines,” says Jarrettbangs. “Indeed, Italian, followed by Mexican, are the most-popular savory bread flavors; however, Asian is on the horizon.”

Mexican foods encompass a wide range of tastes and styles, starting with authentic and extending to Tex-Mex and Santa Fe cuisines. All of these flavors use chiles.

“Chiles are very popular these days,” says Radle-Godkin. “And their flavor is becoming quite complex through the addition of other flavors or spices, or by preparation technique. For example, chiles can be roasted in the oven or char-grilled on a wood-burning fire.”

Although consumers are attracted to the “heat” in chiles — which is directly related to the concentration of capsaicin — they also like it modified by other Mexican flavors, such as avocado, cilantro, cumin, sour cream, tomato, and, of course, cheese.

“Interestingly, it is the bread form that drives flavor development,” Jarrettbangs continues. “There are many Italian-style breads, hence the popularity of these flavors. With Mexican, empanadas are taking the form of bread.” And of course, flavored tortillas for sandwich wraps have Hispanic origins.

But what can we expect in Asian flavors for the savory bakery-product segment? Bread crusts can carry ginger or soy flavors mixed with honey. This flavor system can be sprayed onto breads after baking, and then sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

Honey is an interesting flavorant: Technically, it is a sweetener, yet when used in combination with savory ingredients, it brings all the flavors together, mellowing some and enhancing others. “Honey crosses many ethnic groups, which is why it is so appealing to consumers,” says Jarrettbangs.

Radle-Godkin adds, “Because honey usage levels are limited due to cost and physical properties, it makes sense to use a honey flavor in combination with real honey. There are so many varieties of honey, with so many unique flavor profiles, that it is truly a wonderful flavorant for savory bakery products.”

The National Honey Board, Longmont, CO, has evaluated the use of honey in a variety of ethnic flat breads, including popular ones like focaccia, pita and scones, as well as emerging varieties, such as India’s naan, the Middle East’s barbari and zata, and Jamaica’s cornbread.

The board developed 30 formulas for 10 ethnic flat-bread products. Formulas included either liquid or dry honey, or no honey (the control). Levels of honey incorporated into formulas ranged from 9.2% to 28.6% for liquid honey, and from 9.0% to 19.5% for dry honey, with level varying by bread type. Based on 120 consumer observations on each type of bread, where panelists were asked to rank the three random samples for preference, consumers favored those containing honey over the control.

Honey also can help stabilize frozen dough. When added at 4% to 6% on a flour basis, honey can improve the rheological properties of frozen dough by protecting gluten proteins from damage during freezing and significantly improving dough strength, as well as decreasing staling. Honey also has a desirable effect on color development of crust and crumb of frozen dough, providing an appealing golden color. The National Honey Board discovered that consumers like equally breads either fresh, or made from frozen doughs incorporating honey at levels of 6% to 8%.

Like honey, nuts are more closely associated with sweet bakery products; however, their popularity is increasing in savory bakery products, such as herbed walnut wheat loaf or almond onion bread, as they add value and create a very attractive product presentation. In addition, the oils, vitamins and minerals of nuts make appealing contributions to Nutrition Facts labels, as well as marketing copy on packaging.

The popularity of nuts will continue to grow thanks to FDA’s July 2003 approval of the qualified health claim: Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. The agency’s approval of this claim was in response to a petition filed by the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation (INC NREF) in August 2002.

“More than 30 studies have shown that including nuts in the diet can reduce the risk of heart disease, regardless of the individual nut studied,” says Guy Johnson, nutrition consultant to INC NREF and author of the its health-claim petition. All tree nuts are good sources of healthful unsaturated fats, which have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels, and contain a variety of other potential cardio-protective components, such as vitamin E, selenium, magnesium, copper, potassium, betasitosterol and omega-3 fatty acids. Moreover, the evidence strongly suggests that simply including a handful, or 1.5 ounces, of nuts per day in the typical American diet, without any other changes, will have a significant benefit to public health.

Nuts can be included in doughs or applied topically after baking, adding another delicious layer of flavor to savory baked products.With an American public willing to experiment with savory breads of all shapes, sizes and flavors, all it takes is a fired-up oven and fired-up imagination to achieve the next savory-bread sensation.

Donna Berry, president of Chicago-based Dairy & Food Communications, Inc., a network of professionals in business-to-business technical and trade communications, has been writing on product development and marketing for nine years. Prior to that, she worked for Kraft Foods in the natural-cheese division. She has a B.S. in food science from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She can be reached at [email protected].