Sidi Huang

Steamed Bread Spoilage, Food Safety, and Staling

When stored at room temperature, steamed bread has a relatively short shelf life and becomes stale quickly. As steamed bread has high water activity, microbial spoilage is a high risk. Food safety programs need to be implemented to ensure consumer protection, particularly in a national or global food chain. Staling causes physical and chemical changes within the product, but antistaling additives are available to retard the process.

Nutrition of Steamed Products

Traditional steamed bread is low in salt, fat, and sugar. Some nontraditional steamed products have been developed with higher sugar and fat contents to meet apparent consumer demands. There are now opportunities for manufacturers to introduce healthier products with reduced levels of both sugar and fat. The nutritional value of all types of steamed bread can be improved by fortification with macronutrients and micronutrients, giving manufacturers the potential for targeting specific groups such as people with diabetes, those wishing to improve consumption of dietary fiber, and those seeking generally healthier eating.

Frozen Steamed Products and Frozen Doughs

The development of a frozen dough market in China is presenting opportunities for sale of freshly steamed buns in chain stores and retail outlets. Production of preproofed and unproofed frozen doughs requires experience and good process and cold chain control. These will be discussed in this chapter, along with the process for freezing finished steamed products.

Optional Ingredients for Dough

Supplementary ingredients added to basic steamed bread doughs enable the manufacture of a range of different or superior products. Some ingredients such as grains function to create variety, while others such as fiber, milk, grain, and vegetable extracts offer nutritional advantages. Processing and product quality can be improved by the addition of fats, sugar, and microingredients such as oxidants, enzymes, and emulsifiers.

Dough Preparation and Processing

Preparation of ingredients, mixing, and fermentation are key elements in dough preparation and are discussed in this chapter. As with Western bread, there are a number of dough preparation procedures for Chinese steamed bread and these are described, along with their advantages and disadvantages.

Major Ingredients for Dough

Flour is the most important ingredient for steamed bread quality. Quality tests include assessment of falling number, protein content, flour ash, starch damage, water absorption, and dough strength. There are different flour quality requirements for each style of steamed bread. The other major ingredients are water, sourdough, and/or yeast. Their impact on the quality of the finished product is discussed.

Steamed Buns and Steamed Rolls—Fillings and Their Preparation

Fillings for steamed buns and steamed rolls are described in this chapter. Savory fillings may include combinations of vegetables, meat, and seafood, plus seasonings. Sweet fillings include sugar, bean and seed pastes, coconut, nuts, and custards, plus flavorings.

Processing—Making Products

After mixing, steamed product dough is further processed during sheeting and/or molding operations by hand or machine to form many varieties of breads, buns, rolls, and specialty products. These are then proofed before steaming, cooling, and packaging. At each stage of the process, careful control of processing conditions is essential to produce high-quality products free from quality faults.

Classification of Steamed Breads and Buns

A number of traditional styles of steamed bread have developed in China due to differences in geography, weather, and eating habits. They are characterized by having different ingredients and product characteristics. Guangdong-style steamed bread and buns spread to Southeast Asia because of geographic proximity and have integrated with the local cuisine. Consumer preferences are changing as the formerly distinct styles are now available in other regions and consumption of traditional southern style appears to be increasing at the expense of traditional northern-style steamed breads.

Chapter 13 – Future Trends

Against the background of urbanization and dietary and lifestyle changes in Asia, steamed bread production is facing a number of challenges for the future. Quality, health, and food safety are becoming increasingly important for the consumer who will look for new and convenient products. Some of the future trends in research and development along the value chain from breeder to consumer are considered in this final chapter.