The demand for natural and organic products is growing. And it’s not going away anytime soon. So now is the time to jump on the trend. But before you do, it's important to know what’s involved in the process. Here’s how to do it.

1. A Guide to Organic Baking
Lin Carson, PhD

2. INTRODUCTION
The demand for natural and organic products
is growing. And it’s not going away anytime
soon. So now is the time to jump on the trend.
But before you do, it's important to know
what’s involved in the process.
Here’s how to do it.
1

3. What Counts as “Organic?”2
That’s a good question! It’s a complicated answer. The three levels are:
100%
Organic
Foods made with
100% organic
ingredients.
USDA Organic seal: √
Organic
Contain at least 95–99%
organic ingredients.
Remaining ingredients
aren’t available
organically but are
approved by the NOP.
USDA Organic seal: √
Made w/
Organic
70–94% organic
ingredients.
USDA Organic seal: X
*may list up to three
ingredients on the
front of the packaging.

4. How Do I Bake Organic?3
No matter what category of
organic you are aiming for, the
basic steps are the same:
✓ Clean up your label with
accepted natural or FDA
certified organic
ingredients, preservatives
and additives.
✓ Simplify the recipe and
process however you can.

5. When Baking Bread...4
Instead of:
● Bromated flour
● DATEM
● SSL
● Mono & Diglycerides
● ADA
● L-cysteine
Try these ingredients:
● Enzymes: reduce mix times, increase
oxidation and improve machinability.
● Lecithin: high-performing emulsifier
and stabilizer, improving the texture
of goods.
● Ascorbic acid: oxidant that promotes
dough development during mixing.
● Cultured wheat: natural preservative

6. When Baking Sweet Goods...5
Instead of:
● Sodium Aluminum
Sulfate
● Bleached flour
● Antioxidants/chelating
agents
● Vanillin
● FD&C colors
● Artificial flavors
● Trans fat/PHO
Try these ingredients:
● Natural colors and flavors
● Palm oil
● Citric Acid

7. In the Mixer...6
Most organic breads call for a lot of gluten. In the
mixer this means mixing longer to achieve full
development, which produces a lot more heat
for the dough.
To achieve this organically, use ice or refrigerated
water and mix in smaller batches if you can.
❏ Get and keep the temperature down
What to do:

8. In the Oven...7
The number one fault with ovens and baking is
an unbalanced oven or heavy breads that require
longer baking time. This leads to over baking.
Overbaking means a dried-out product with a shorter
shelf life—something you can’t afford with organic
baking. So you HAVE to know what’s happening.
❏ Use thermal profiling
What to do:

9. In the Cooling Tower...8
If bread does not cool enough, condensation and
mold will destroy your product—and you can’t use any
artificial preservatives.
❏ Internal bread temperature: 35-40°C (95-104°F)
❏ Moisture: 38%
What to do:
Did you know that you reduce the effectiveness
of your slicing blades when you slice warm
bread? So keep bread cool to extend blade life.

10. Food Safety9
Natural
Preservatives
Cultured wheat,
whey, vinegar, and
raisin pastes are a few
that can either
reduce dough pH or
disrupt cellular
membranes.
Mold
Ecolab or your local
sanitation chemical
company should
carry a line of organic
approved chemicals.
Pathogens
Keep everything
clean, the bakery area
dry, and sanitation
sinks away from the
product line. Do a wet
clean once a week
and dry clean the rest
of the time.

11. Is It Worth It?10
Going organic is not just the product. It’s
the entire baking ecosystem. It will be a
lot of work, and will incur some costs.
However, see it as a chance to
optimize your process and
equipment.
More questions? Go to BAKERpedia.com!

12. Find all your baking answers on
BAKERpedia.com