A New Take on Whole-grain Breads
Combining forces, two Cargill teams give rise to a benefit-rich, sprouted-grain flour for baker customers.
January 01, 2015
After consumer research revealed people were interested in whole-grain breads, but largely disliked their bitter taste, Cargill began exploring recipes for a product to match the need.
The company decided to produce a flour variety using sprouted grains, a new ingredient trending in the baked goods industry. Made with grains germinated under controlled conditions, sprouted-grain breads had sparked a new consumer following. But supply had not yet caught up to demand: the flour was not yet available for large-scale bakers, making these specialty products hard to come by in restaurants and supermarkets.
[image caption] Not your ordinary bread: the new sprouted-grain flour meets consumers’ demand for whole-grain benefits with a lighter texture and mild taste.
To help its customers catch up to the sprouted-grain movement, Cargill enlisted its malt business along with Horizon Milling (now Ardent Mills) to create a new form of sprouted whole wheat for mass distribution.
During research and development, the team discovered that their winning flour recipe yielded an array of new benefits: it produced loaves up to 12% larger in volume, requiring 10% less resting time than non-sprouted wheat flour. And while sweeter in taste and lighter in texture, the dough was also 56% more stable, withstanding normal handling and better maintaining its shape.
In 2013, the final product debuted. Cargill’s Horizon Milling brand introduced its Sprouted White Spring Whole-Wheat Flour, delivering bakers a more profitable, better-performing, better-tasting flour.