Bread making question.

[Dave7]

I make wholemeal breadand and go by the recipe booklet.
There are 3 sizes......... 1lb, 11/2lb and 2lb.
Both larger sizes say to add crushed vitamin c tablet.
The smaller size leaves it out.... Why would that be?
I know it helps the bread rise so why leave it out of the small size?

 

[richardfm]

I've been making my own bread for years and have never used vitamin c tablets.
I would leave it out completely.

 

[Poacher]

Vitamin C helps bread rise, true enough, but it's a bit of a faff crushing tablets.
I generally make 80% wholemeal (including malted when Waitrose get some in) mixed with 20% white, but make about 5% of the hydration orange juice. Doesn't adversely affect the flavour and gets some vitamin C into the mix.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Like richardfm I too have been baking bread for years and have never used ascorbic acid (vitamin C), not even in a 100% wholemeal dough.
It’s one of the tricks* that commercial bread producers use to make loaves and isn’t necessary.

Be wary of using it in tablet form as these contain other things such as binders that might adversely affect the bread. You can buy it in unadulterated powder form for baking but it’s an unnecessary expense.

It won’t be needed in the smallest loaf as that is such a small quantity of dough that it doesn’t require the gluten-strengthening effect of the additive.

*”The net result of AA is to improve the ability of dough to retain gas (as seen by increased oven spring) and to yield bread with a finer (smaller average cell size) crumb cell structure. These changes also result in bread crumb that is softer to the touch yet has the resiliency to recover much of its original shape after compression. This helps to convey the impression of proved freshness to the consumer.’“
Baking Problems Solved, p 55, S. Cauvain & L. Young, Woodhead Publishing (2001)

 

[markemark]

The best solution is using beer. Make sure you find a good one you’d normally like to drink. Before starting the bread mix pour the beer in a 1 pint glass. Then make the bread mix without the vitamin c tablet but at regular intervals drink some of the beer. Then forget entirely about the vitamin c and carry on with your day. You’ll have some lovely bread and enjoyed a nice beer.

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