The bread making process of ancient wheat: A semi-structured interview to bakers

摘要

The importance of bread made from ancient wheat flours is currently increasing. In literature, several works examine the cultivation phase of ancient wheats, as well as their positive effects on human health. On a technological level, their bread-making process is hindered by the poor workability of these flours, but there are only few scientific studies aimed to enhance their technological performance. However, bakers developed several strategies to improve ancient wheat flour processability. We chose the semi-structured interview as instrument to investigate these strategies, evaluating them according to the existent literature. The study revealed that ancient wheats are usually stone milled, and processed as brown flours. Bread doughs are often prepared with flour blends, resulting from the cultivation of grain mixtures or obtained as flour mix.