Breadcrumbs are one of the unsung heroes of the food industry. They are used in many product applications but never really take precedence as the key ingredient. Hence, the selection of the right breadcrumbs can make a significant difference to the overall quality of a finished product.
Historically, low cost mass produced breadcrumbs were almost always made from unsold bread returned to the bakers by retailers.
To make use of this essentially waste product, bakeries redried the bread and crumbed it to commercialise a product that would otherwise be dumped. This product was the industry standard for many years.
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In recent times however, various market changes have had an impact on the availability of these types of breadcrumbs and its use.
Firstly, retailers have become more adept at forecasts and ordering, meaning the incidence of waste has significantly reduced and availability can be inconsistent.
The varieties of bread in retail have also increased, meaning crumbs made from returned bread can have extraordinarily long ingredient lists which are not always suitable for processors using the crumbs in their product.
New country of origin labelling as well as allergen statements have also made these crumbs more difficult to use in processing where demands for transparency and clean labels are increasing. As a result, there has been strong demand for purpose bake crumbs, particularly in manufacturing.
Newly Weds Foods has been producing purpose-baked crumbs in Australia for more than 30 years in the form of its signature Panko Crumb and Japanese Style Breadcrumb. These crumbs are produced through the combination of selecting high quality wheat flours with a specialised, innovative technology using electrical current during the baking process to create an elongated, slivered shape.
This unique shape and open structure produces a delicate, crispy texture when fried or oven baked. The specialised baking process also produces bread loaves that are free from an outer crust, giving a uniform coloured crumb which improves visual appeal and allows the company to manage colour to specification.
While sales of Panko have continued to grow significantly, these crumbs are a premium product. But they are not always a cost- effective option for some of the more traditional uses of breadcrumbs that have predominantly been the domain of returned breadcrumbs.
To meet this demand for lower cost, purpose baked crumbs, Newly Weds Foods has installed a traditional bread baking line where loaves are baked using traditional methods.
This produces more homemade looking bread with an outer crust that when crumbed creates a more home-style, familiar looking speckled crumb. The crust gives golden brown highlights and a great crunchy texture that’s ideal for a variety of applications and a more cost effective alternative to Panko in some applications.
By purpose baking this way, the company can ensure its customers consistent supply with the same quality and appearance on every delivery.
Ingredient listings and allergen statements are greatly simplified with most of Newly Weds Foods’ traditional crumbs containing only five ingredients – flour, salt, yeast, sugar & water. All of these ingredients are Australian sourced helping country of origin labelling as well.
Further catering to market demand, Newly Weds Foods also has the flexibility of producing crumbs via an extrusion process rather than traditional baking technology.
This process allows for crumbs to be made into a variety of shapes as well as the option for gluten-free applications.