Puneites prefer to bake their own bread

A recent controversy surrounding the bread states that the daily staple contains carcinogens. A study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) revealed that more than 84 per cent bread, which includes sliced bread, multi-grain and whole wheat variety, burger buns, pav as well as pizza bases, available in the market contain carcinogens like potassium bromate and pottasium iodate.Do we want to feed this to our kids and family members? Pune home bakers say no.
Why the chemicals? Potassium bromate acts as an oxidising agent, helping the dough to rise quickly and maintain the whiteness of the bread, while potassium iodate, too, is an oxidising agent, used as a maturing agent in baking. Home baker Radhika Khopde Shitole, who also conducts bread-making workshops, informs, “The chemicals work as a preservative as well as quick rising agent when used in making breads. Where as home-made breads, made using the traditional method of baking, have to be proofed twice for the bread to rise well. The whole process is time consuming, compared to the method that uses these chemicals.” She adds that the commercially-available bread packs have a shelf life of six to seven days, all thanks to the added chemicals. “Home-made breads can’t be consumed after 48 hours. If we have leftover bread, we toast it and use it immediately, but the ones we buy at grocery stores and local and branded bakeries tend to last for a longer period, because they have preservatives added to them,” she reveals.
Also read: Carcinogen in breads: We adhere to rules, say manufacturers
It was precisely this extensive use of chemicals in commercially-prepared bread that drove Jeenal Lodha to bake her own bread at home. “I am a home baker and always prefer to bake breads at home. I have been doing this since about four to five years now. I have done my Masters in Food Production Management and learnt how to bake from there. I have worked in the food industry and have seen what goes in and how,” she quips.
Health is a major factor Another home baker, Diksha Gupta Dorwani, feels that it’s a lot safer to buy bread from a known bakery that does not use these agents or home baker who uses traditional methods of bread-making. “I love baking my own bread at home and there’s one thing I’ve noticed, no matter what recipe I follow or what ingredients I add, the bread I make at home isn’t the same as the one available in bakeries. There’s definitely something more they add. I, for one, am sure that they also add refined flour to their healthy options like whole wheat and multi-grain bread varieties.”
Dr Deoshree Sharma, who is a practising homeopathic doctor, started baking her bread since a year and half. “I chose to bake my bread so that I can have fresh ones, with known ingredients, and I know what I’m feeding my family. Also, I can do my variations, like garlic bread, chocolate bread, banana bread and so on.”
Taste matters Home baker Jayashree Munot too, decided to bake bread at home and has been doing so for the past six years. “I do it for the taste and texture, which is far better than the ones we get at the bakery. Besides, the smell of freshly baked bread instantly uplifts your mood,” she shares.
City-based makeup artist Saba Poonawala too, loves baking and conducts workshops for the same. “I enjoy baking bread as it is quite easy to make at home, once you’ve mastered the recipe. You can also experiment and make different varieties at home.”
Leena Yengle, a city-based entrepreneur bakes bread at home and swears by the superior taste of the bread made at home. “Let me tell you, the homemade breads taste far better than breads that you buy from outside. At home we know what is going in to the making of that bread. Besides, you can make a variety at home, from whole wheat, multigrain, milk buns to a lot of other healthy variations.”