The Heartland Baker                

Hearth Bake Test

Most flour mills and cereal labs perform what is known in the industry as a "pup loaf test," in which small loaves (pups) are mixed, formed, proofed and baked, strictly following a set formula and procedure.  This bake test is done in addition to basic analyses to reveal protein, ash, and moisture levels, as well as enzymatic activity and more complex tests for rheological properties.  A bake test is often the best indicator of how a flour will actually perform in the bakery.  

At Heartland Mill we have long done a pup loaf test, modified slightly from the AACC (American Association of Cereal Chemists) protocol to reflect the natural ingredients used by  most customers for our certified organic flours. We use this test not just to confirm the quality of our finished product, but to help us to produce that product by making pup loaves at every step of the way.  Before we acquire wheat from a grower, a pup loaf test is but one of many tests to which we subject a "pre-ship" sample.  We test varieties before we approve them for our growers, and we test the varieties that we develop in our own breeding plots.  

As the artisan bread movement began to gain momentum, we realized that the pup loaf bake test, originally developed for the sliced pan bread baker, may not be the best performance indicator for customers who were baking European-inspired breads featuring lean doughs with lengthy fermentation or preferments and baked directly on hearths.  Most of these breads are made with only flour, salt, water, and yeast (or sourdough), without shortening, sweeteners or dough improvers.  

Early in 2001 we began to develop our own "artisan" or hearth bread test, based on procedures originally developed by French researchers, to aid in developing new wheat varieties for making quality baguettes.  We made a few changes to the test to reflect the difference between French and North American wheats as well as the type of breads that North American hearth bakers are producing.  The dough is mixed in a spiral mixer and the loaves are baked on the masonry hearth of a steam-filled oven to mimic what happens at the bakery level.  

Initially, we made assessments based on general observations and loaf volume, but as we have become more familiar with the test and what it can tell us, we have developed a system (also based on the French protocol) for quantifying the performance parameters of the flour.  

Each sample is rated on more than thirty characteristics as  the flour's performance is rated at every step as the test progresses from mixing through fermentation, make-up, proofing, baking, and eating.  

While there is never certainty that a mill can predict every problem a customer may encounter with a flour, with the addition of this test, we believe we can be more helpful than ever to our customers.  By using a bake test that mimics what is done in hearth bakeries, we don't just enable ourselves to make better flour, we become better equipped to address our artisan bakery customers' concerns.

For more test info click here

Hearth Test Basics

Formula

Flour         1100 grams                  Water*        770 grams                    salt               22 grams                yeast             7.3 grams           MBF**             1.1 grams

*Hydration level is adjusted according to absorption of flour.  **Malted barley flour (MBF) is omitted if flour is pre-malted.  

Procedure

Dough is mixed for 10 minutes on low speed in a spiral mixer.  Goal dough temperature is 77 degrees F.  The dough is fermented in bulk for 90 minutes before being divided into loaves and pre-shaped.  After a 20 minute rest, the dough pieces are shaped and put on couche and proofed at 75-79 degrees F.     

The loaves are scored with a razor on a lame, peeled into the oven (450 degrees F.) and the oven is steamed.  Bake time is 24 minutes.  Not all loaves are baked at once.  After 30 minutes the remaining loaves are baked, allowing us to judge the proofing tolerance of the dough.  

Scoring

At every step, the dough is judged for tackiness, extensibility, and elasticity.  During mixing it is rated for how quickly (or slowly) it comes together and for consistency.  "Relaxability" is judged at the end of mixing and after the bulk fermentation.  We observe the strength of the dough after proofing as well as liveliness of fermentation and any tendency toward tearing.  

The finished loaf is judged on both external and internal appearance and characteristics, including, but not limited to, color, shape, and texture.  We judge the irregularity of the crumb structure as well as its color (creamy yellow is good).  The inverse density value (volume in cubic centimeters divided by weight in grams) is averaged from all loaves in a bake test.  Flavor is weighted more heavily than any other single factor.   1.0 is a perfect score.  We're pretty happy with something in the 0.8s  

A photograph of a loaf from each test, and a slice from a loaf, is digitally stored with each result form.