Topic: Mixes and bases

MODERN-BAKING

Baking Management Staff

Tue, 2006-04-18 12:00

Offer value in
bakery foods with BakeMark mixes

Do prepared mixes have less favorable attributes and lower quality than scratch recipes?
There are many reasons why bakers should consider using prepared mixes. They can help bakers find solutions to many of the common issues in today’s expanding market.

Will the overall quality of my baked goods decrease if I use prepared mixes?
BakeMark research and development scientists acquire the latest technical information and make it available to the industry through our mixes. These ingredients include those that are not readily available, such as extended shelf life, nutritional and textural ingredients.

Mixes are developed to help bakers meet the most stringent label requirements. Most importantly, BakeMark mixes provide consistent quality day in and day out because of the standards that we set for our formulations, ingredient qualifications, and blending procedures.

Will prepared mixes increase the cost of my baked goods?
BakeMark prepared mixes will reduce expensive errors or accidental miss-scaling of a recipe that increases bakers’ costs. These costly errors are often hidden and are reflected in decreased profits. Acquisition of raw ingredients is time consuming, costly and often frustrating, particularly when last minute orders need to be produced. The availability of skilled labor to produce scratch recipes requires additional time spent for training that robs bakers from overall productivity, increasing cost. Prepared mixes require less scaling time, easier inventory control and reduced errors, dramatically increasing production and reducing overall costs.

Will prepared mixes reduce my abilities to make customized products? Will prepared mixes limit my creativity?
Quite the contrary. Most bakers have found that mixes can be modified. Because BakeMark’s cutting-edge mixes are very stable, they become a reliable platform to create a wide variety of finished products that meet or exceed the versatility of most traditional recipes. Request copies of our “Benchtop Companion®” idea cards to help with using our mixes.

After all, mixes are perfectly balanced mass-produced scratch recipes designed to help bakers become even more creative. And, because they help bakers be more efficient, bakers also have more time to be creative.

Will my customers know that I am using mixes and shop elsewhere?
Bakers still are able to add their secret assortment of flavors to BakeMark mixes to give them a personal signature. We, the BakeMark team, become partners to bakers, guaranteeing that the best quality ingredients are blended under the most stringent procedures. Our ingredients are ready for bakers to use and are delivered in a timely fashion.

Whether the brand is Westco, Sterling or Trigal Dorado, bakers always count on any of our BakeMark manufactured brands.

Take the worry out of your production, call your BakeMark representative and cast a fresh look at prepared mixes. We are sure you will see them in a new light.

For more information, contact Bakemark at 562-949-1054 or go to www.bakemark.com

Why should bakers use mixes or bases instead of a scratch formula?
Premixes offer efficient processing, improved throughput, inventory control, increased flexibility and a consistent product. Premixes also eliminate human error, which is a significant concern for many bakers.

How do premixes eliminate human error?
Mixes and bases do not require any guesswork from bakery employees. All minor ingredients are scaled accordingly and included in the mix and base formulas.

Scaling errors account for many formulation difficulties. Scaling errors include: scale not zeroed, scale not calibrated, scale broken, scale not measuring at all and volume measurements used instead of accurate measurements.

Mixes contain almost all of the ingredients needed in a formulation, except for water and sometimes yeast. Bases also require water, but bakers must also add bulk ingredients such as flour, and sometimes sugar.

How can mixes help bakers take advantage of baking industry trends?
By formulating with mixes and bases, bakers are able to launch new products without spending significant amounts of time on research and development.

Grain-based breads are increasingly popular. However, it may not be possible for bakers to source and store every grain in a 9-grain bread. In addition, multigrain breads require certain dough conditioning agents that bakers may not normally keep on hand.

However, many suppliers offer grain-based mixes and bases that allow bakers to create multigrain breads without the hassle.

How can bakers enhance grain-based mixes?
A wide assortment of flavors are available for bakers to create unique, upscale bakery foods. Mixes and bases are available in sourdough, rye, French, Italian, ciabatta and potato flavors. One manufacturer offers a flavor system that creates a vegetable bread containing tomato, carrot, pepper and onion flavors. This flavor system is added to the manufacturer’s existing grain mixes at levels ranging from 20% to 30%.

What other bakery products will mixes and bases simplify?
Many Hispanic products such as bolilos and conchas are ideal for mixes and bases because they help bakers launch new products. Many suppliers offer an assortment of mixes that cater to an ethnic market, and mixes and bases are an ideal stepping stone for bakers breaking into a niche category.

Besides multigrain breads and ethnic foods, what other bakery applications are ideal for mix and base use?
Any bakery food, including muffins, donuts, bagels and rolls, may benefit from formulating with mixes and bases.

Are mixes and bases available in the healthful market?
Yes. One supplier offers a cholesterol-lowering bread base. Other manufacturers offer bases with nutraceuticals and nutrients such as calcium, B vitamins, choline, minerals, folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids.

Mix advantages
• Less inventory
• Consistency from season to season
• Multi-plant bakeries assured the same product with comparable costs and yields
• Easy for bakers to produce innovative bakery foods with minimal research and development workload and costs
• Guesswork eliminated while adding ingredients to mixing bowl
• Errors made by new or poorly qualified employees decreased

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