BAKERY PRODUCTS

Simple classification

Bakery products can be differentiated on the basis of the presence, or not, of a fermentation process and on the basis of the type of leavening agent (natural or chemical) used; so:

Baked products leavened with natural yeast:

Fermentation by yeasts

Donuts, some sweets, cakes etc.
Daily bread:

Immediate fermentation
Deferred fermentation

Mixed fermentation:

Sourdough Bread:
Some desserts (panettone, pandor etc.)

NON-leavened baked goods (unleavened bread, piade, tortillas, etc.)

Bakery products leavened with chemical yeast - Sodium bicarbonate (some sweets, cakes etc.)

Choice of Flour

The flour used in baked goods is generally obtained by grinding grain or wheat: botanical name Triticum (most used varieties: vulgare, durum and Secale cereale); however, wheat is not the only cereal used in the dough of baked goods. Although many other cereals are NOT able to support the leavening of the dough, due to the absence of gluten, in other continents the baked products are also produced by means of the dough based on rice, corn and sorghum. .

Yeast

As anticipated, the leavening of baked products properly so-called takes place by the action of a specific type of mushroom (in its various strains); this microorganism can be introduced into the dough by means of:

a dry or compressed yeast, widely marketed

of a sourdough (or natural yeast) kept alive by the producer himself

from the union of both

from the use of microbial starters.

Italian legislation

Apart from labeling, the bakery products most affected by product regulations are: bread, panettone, pandoro, Easter dove, ladyfingers and amaretti biscuits; for these, but also for many other foods sold in bulk at retail, reference is made to the Ministerial Decree of December 20, 1994: Single carton scheme of the ingredients of ice cream, pastry, bakery and gastronomy products sold in bulk.