Underbaked bread etc. (UK)

Is it just me ... (OK, it usually is...) but has anyone else noticed that
some foods have recently become undercooked?

I notice it mostly with store cooked baked products, bread etc.

It's just a suspicion that the supermarkets are trying to save fuel costs by
cutting down on the bake time...

The last couple of loaves of bread I've bought have been very "doughy". Then
just today, at work, one of our clients brought in some doughnuts, as a
thank you, which again everyone thought were undercooked.

The consensus is that Tesco seems to be the most noticeable.

Anyone else notice a trend?

And how about in the US?


Slatts

Sla#s wrote:
> Is it just me ... (OK, it usually is...) but has anyone else noticed
> that some foods have recently become undercooked?
>
> I notice it mostly with store cooked baked products, bread etc.
>
> It's just a suspicion that the supermarkets are trying to save fuel
> costs by cutting down on the bake time...
>
> The last couple of loaves of bread I've bought have been very "doughy".
> Then just today, at work, one of our clients brought in some doughnuts,
> as a thank you, which again everyone thought were undercooked.
>
> The consensus is that Tesco seems to be the most noticeable.
>
> Anyone else notice a trend?
>
> And how about in the US?


I did notice it in one brand of store bought sliced whole wheat bread.
I guessed that it had to do with adjusting a recipe that had used sugar
to using corn syrup instead. I came to that conclusion because I tried
toasting it, and the problem wasn't solved. If it weren't baked enough,
toasting it would have done the trick. If the ingredient mix was off,
that would explain it.


--Lia

On Sat 02 Aug 2008 08:19:59a, Sla#s told us...

> Is it just me ... (OK, it usually is...) but has anyone else noticed
> that some foods have recently become undercooked?
>
> I notice it mostly with store cooked baked products, bread etc.
>
> It's just a suspicion that the supermarkets are trying to save fuel
> costs by cutting down on the bake time...
>
> The last couple of loaves of bread I've bought have been very "doughy".
> Then just today, at work, one of our clients brought in some doughnuts,
> as a thank you, which again everyone thought were undercooked.
>
> The consensus is that Tesco seems to be the most noticeable.
>
> Anyone else notice a trend?
>
> And how about in the US?
>
>
> Slatts
>
>

I've never noticed this with bread I bought in the US.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 08(VIII)/02(II)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Don't start an argument with somebody
who has a microphone when you don't;
they'll make you look like chopped
liver. --Harlan Ellison, on hecklers
-------------------------------------------

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Sat 02 Aug 2008 08:19:59a, Sla#s told us...
>
>> Is it just me ... (OK, it usually is...) but has anyone else noticed
>> that some foods have recently become undercooked?

>>
>> Anyone else notice a trend?

>>
>
> I've never noticed this with bread I bought in the US.
>


I have in both commercially baked breads (usually whole grains) as well
as rolls in the instore bakeries. They are usually a pale, sickly tan
instead of a healthy brown, and tend to be soggy. I just attributed it
to the youth of the employees who have never experienced good bread.

gloria p

Sla#s <phil@KNOTslatts.net> wrote:

> Is it just me ... (OK, it usually is...) but has anyone else noticed that
> some foods have recently become undercooked?
>
> I notice it mostly with store cooked baked products, bread etc.
>
> It's just a suspicion that the supermarkets are trying to save fuel costs by
> cutting down on the bake time...

The ovens stay on all day. You're just paranoid.

-sw

On Sat 02 Aug 2008 09:54:57a, Gloria P told us...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Sat 02 Aug 2008 08:19:59a, Sla#s told us...
>>
>>> Is it just me ... (OK, it usually is...) but has anyone else noticed
>>> that some foods have recently become undercooked?
>
>>>
>>> Anyone else notice a trend?
>
>>>
>>
>> I've never noticed this with bread I bought in the US.
>>
>
>
> I have in both commercially baked breads (usually whole grains) as well
> as rolls in the instore bakeries. They are usually a pale, sickly tan
> instead of a healthy brown, and tend to be soggy. I just attributed it
> to the youth of the employees who have never experienced good bread.
>
> gloria p
>

You apparently have lousy bakeries in your area. Most where I live produce
very acceptable nicely browned bread products.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 08(VIII)/02(II)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Don't start an argument with somebody
who has a microphone when you don't;
they'll make you look like chopped
liver. --Harlan Ellison, on hecklers
-------------------------------------------

On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 16:19:59 +0100, "Sla#s" <phil@KNOTslatts.net>
wrote:

>Is it just me ... (OK, it usually is...) but has anyone else noticed that
>some foods have recently become undercooked?
>
>I notice it mostly with store cooked baked products, bread etc.
>
>It's just a suspicion that the supermarkets are trying to save fuel costs by
>cutting down on the bake time...
>
>The last couple of loaves of bread I've bought have been very "doughy". Then
>just today, at work, one of our clients brought in some doughnuts, as a
>thank you, which again everyone thought were undercooked.
>
>The consensus is that Tesco seems to be the most noticeable.
>
>Anyone else notice a trend?
>
>And how about in the US?
>
>
Nothing here. The bread I buy is fine.



--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Aug 2, 11:19�am, "Sla#s" <p...@KNOTslatts.net> wrote:
> Is it just me ... (OK, it usually is...) but has anyone else noticed that
> some foods have recently become undercooked?
>
> I notice it mostly with store cooked �baked products, bread etc.
>
> It's just a suspicion that the supermarkets are trying to save fuel costsby
> cutting down on the bake time...
>
> The last couple of loaves of bread I've bought have been very "doughy". Then
> just today, at work, one of our clients brought in some doughnuts, as a
> thank you, �which again everyone thought were undercooked.
>
> The consensus is that Tesco seems to be the most noticeable.
>
> Anyone else notice a trend?
>
> And how about in the US?
>
> Slatts

It's probably not the bakery but rather the baker who's underbaking
the bread. Supermarket bakeries don't use professionally trained
bakers. They just pick one of their employees to do the job. In some
cases they'll find someone who knows how to bake and cares about
putting out a good product. Other times they're not so lucky. It
would be a waste of money for a bakery to put out underbaked product
all the time because they would have to throw it all away. That's
wasting product and labor.

Question.


The bread dough is perfectly made. The loaves are formed. The baker,
for one reason or another, doesn't bake the bread long enough. It comes
out doughy in the middle. The bread is sliced and sold.

Now, the consumer buys the bread, realizes that it is doughy in the
middle, and decides to toast it. Wouldn't the bread lose its doughiness
once it is baked thoroughly in the toaster?


--Lia

Julia Altshuler wrote:
> Question.
>
>
> The bread dough is perfectly made. The loaves are formed. The baker,
> for one reason or another, doesn't bake the bread long enough. It comes
> out doughy in the middle. The bread is sliced and sold.
>
> Now, the consumer buys the bread, realizes that it is doughy in the
> middle, and decides to toast it. Wouldn't the bread lose its doughiness
> once it is baked thoroughly in the toaster?

The big thing I see in the grocery store these days is bread you
*finish* baking and browning yourself. I wonder if that might be what
the OP is speaking of?

On Aug 2, 10:53�pm, "djs0...@aol.com" <djs0...@aol.com> wrote:
> On Aug 2, 11:19 am, "Sla#s" <p...@KNOTslatts.net> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Is it just me ... (OK, it usually is...) but has anyone else noticed that
> > some foods have recently become undercooked?
>
> > I notice it mostly with store cooked baked products, bread etc.
>
> > It's just a suspicion that the supermarkets are trying to save fuel costs by
> > cutting down on the bake time...
>
> > The last couple of loaves of bread I've bought have been very "doughy".Then
> > just today, at work, one of our clients brought in some doughnuts, as a
> > thank you, which again everyone thought were undercooked.
>
> > The consensus is that Tesco seems to be the most noticeable.
>
> > Anyone else notice a trend?
>
> > And how about in the US?
>
> > Slatts
>
> It's probably not the bakery but rather the baker who's underbaking
> the bread. �Supermarket bakeries don't use professionally trained
> bakers. �They just pick one of their employees to do the job. �

That may be true in some cases but at the stupidmarket bakeries I
patronize the head baker is definitely a professional. I haven't
regularly encountered underbaked yeast breads, only very occasionally
have I found yeast bread that needed a longer baking time and/or a
hotter oven. But in the past few years I've noticed that quick breads
and cakes, and especially cookies are way underbaked for my taste.
Upon discussing this with the head bakers of the stores I frequent I
learned that people seem to prefer underbaked products, especially
muffins and cookies. I personally don't consider a muffin baked in a
paper liner a muffin, it's a fucked up cupcake... and raw cookie dough
is loose bowel movement.

People nowadays seem to prefer underbaked products, they won't buy
baked goods with even a hint of brown... even pizza is sold
practically raw and people seem to love it.

Goomba wrote:
> Julia Altshuler wrote:
>> Question.
>>
>>
>> The bread dough is perfectly made. The loaves are formed. The
>> baker, for one reason or another, doesn't bake the bread long
>> enough. It comes out doughy in the middle. The bread is sliced and
>> sold.
>>
>> Now, the consumer buys the bread, realizes that it is doughy in the
>> middle, and decides to toast it. Wouldn't the bread lose its
>> doughiness once it is baked thoroughly in the toaster?
>
> The big thing I see in the grocery store these days is bread you
> *finish* baking and browning yourself. I wonder if that might be what
> the OP is speaking of?

No - I know the stuff you mean - I'm refering to normal finished product.

Slatts

Sqwertz wrote:
> Sla#s <phil@KNOTslatts.net> wrote:
>
>> Is it just me ... (OK, it usually is...) but has anyone else noticed
>> that some foods have recently become undercooked?
>>
>> I notice it mostly with store cooked baked products, bread etc.
>>
>> It's just a suspicion that the supermarkets are trying to save fuel
>> costs by cutting down on the bake time...
>
> The ovens stay on all day. You're just paranoid.


But not 24/7 this way they could get in more batches...?

But yes - I am paranoid :-)

Slatts

Sla#s <phil@KNOTslatts.net> wrote:

> Sqwertz wrote:
>
>> The ovens stay on all day. You're just paranoid.
>
> But not 24/7 this way they could get in more batches...?
>
> But yes - I am paranoid :-)

I don't see bakeries turning out under-cooked goods to save less
than $.01 a loaf.

You're right. You're paranoid.

-sw