Thai produced white sliced bread

[bluesofa]

My mother-in-law bought her grandchildren some bread for a treat. It’s that awful processed sliced white bread, that (to me) feels nothing like bread, but more of a ‘plasticy’ feel.

 

I’m sure I’m showing my ignorance about wheat here, as I thought wheat was beige/brown in colour?

I was under the impression that white bread was made using coloured/bleached wheat. However, I’m prepared to stand corrected on that.

 

The reason I mention it, was I noticed on the Thai ‘processed’ sliced white bread, it said (in Thai) as I assume a selling point, that it was produced “Use white wheat not bleached”.

Can anyone enlighten me on this?

 

[Oxx]

Fresh unbleached flour is only slightly less white than bleached flour.  The colour difference when made into a loaf is negligible.

 

By "processed" you probably mean that it's made by the Chorleywood process.

[d123]

1 hour ago, Oxx said:

Fresh unbleached flour is only slightly less white than bleached flour.  The colour difference when made into a loaf is negligible.

 

By "processed" you probably mean that it's made by the Chorleywood process.

Chorleywood ......mmm...Mornington Crescent

 

apologies to non ISIHAC readers

[bluesofa]

9 minutes ago, d123 said:

Chorleywood ......mmm...Mornington Crescent

 

apologies to non ISIHAC readers

For me, I understood the Mornington Crescent reference Samantha, but not the Chorleywood process. Could I be so bold as to ask what that is?

[notmyself]

Spoke to my brother in law (30 years a bread baker) about this and other aspects of Thai bread and he considers it likely that Alum is being added to the flour. He and my sister came over around 4 years back and he got to actually try the stuff... one bite and that was it for him. No way would he eat more of it.

[Oxx]

17 minutes ago, notmyself said:

Spoke to my brother in law (30 years a bread baker) about this and other aspects of Thai bread and he considers it likely that Alum is being added to the flour.

 

I don't know your brother in law's nationality, but in Britain alum in bread has been banned since 1875.  I presume that other developed countries have similar laws.  How, precisely, has your brother in law become familiar with alum in bread?

 

For that matter, can you find a single reference (Thai or English) which suggests that alum is used to make bread in Thailand?

 

Or is this just another inane, Thai-bashing post "told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"?

[notmyself]

6 minutes ago, Oxx said:

 

I don't know your brother in law's nationality, but in Britain alum in bread has been banned since 1875.  I presume that other developed countries have similar laws.  How, precisely, has your brother in law become familiar with alum in bread?

 

For that matter, can you find a single reference (Thai or English) which suggests that alum is used to make bread in Thailand?

 

Or is this just another inane, Thai-bashing post "told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"?

 

He's British Oxx and started baking bread in the 70s as an apprentice where you not only learn how to bake bread but also the reasons behind each step along with the history of failures and successes. One of the main reasons why the use of alum was banned rather than restricted is because it occurs naturally in various amounts and so very hard to check if it had been added during the process. Alum itself is still used today for various reasons in the culinary world from baking sodas to keeping pickles crisp. The problem was that it was being used in vast quantities in bread causing health problems.

 

Have no idea if the Kingdom has similar laws to more developed countries with regard to alum in bread not that that matters as it can be added to baking soda and thus listed as a compound. It's similar to salt where a product can legally say it has no added salt by using a product in it such as bacon that has been cured in super high levels of salt. But to get back to alum.. modern, and even not so modern refining processes along with better crops have negated the need for alum in large quantities unless the flour is produced using really poor quality wheat.

 

Should have been clearer in my earlier post in that he wouldn't eat the 7-11 and Aro type bread because he didn't like the taste or texture rather than the chances it contained high levels of alum.

 

[rott]

On the subject of bread I have always heard "Thai bread is full of sugar because it's cheaper than flour". I noticed yesterday that Tesco bread has 4%sugar and Farmhouse 4.5%. 

How does this compare with UK or other western breads.

[Oxx]

1 hour ago, rott said:

On the subject of bread I have always heard "Thai bread is full of sugar because it's cheaper than flour". I noticed yesterday that Tesco bread has 4%sugar and Farmhouse 4.5%. 

How does this compare with UK or other western breads.

 

Western bread typically contains zero or only a trace of sugar.

 

The difference isn't cost.  It's the fact that bread in Thailand is seen as something sweet.  In Thai it's known as khaˑnǒmˑpaŋ.  The khaˑnǒm part is usually translated into English as "sweets".  The name of dozens of Thai sweetmeats (if not hundreds or thousands) start with this.

 

Bread in Thailand is often eaten sprinkled with sugar and doused with or dipped into condensed milk.  It's not usual to slather it with butter and Marmite (at least here).

[rott]

Thanks for that Oxx. I normally prefer Tesco or BigC to the "industrial" brands but the Tesco from yesterday really does taste sweet. Have to go back to the Country Sour from BigC.

[champers]

55 minutes ago, Oxx said:

 

Western bread typically contains zero or only a trace of sugar.

 

The difference isn't cost.  It's the fact that bread in Thailand is seen as something sweet.  In Thai it's known as khaˑnǒmˑpaŋ.  The khaˑnǒm part is usually translated into English as "sweets".  The name of dozens of Thai sweetmeats (if not hundreds or thousands) start with this.

 

Bread in Thailand is often eaten sprinkled with sugar and doused with or dipped into condensed milk.  It's not usual to slather it with butter and Marmite (at least here).

Sugar butties were often used to keep young ones quiet and fed at the same time in the North of England. Cheap version of jam butties.

My favourite ISIHAC moment:

Humphrey Lyttleton:  

"Well Samantha is leaving us now to meet her new Italian boyfriend. He is taking her for an ice-cream. Samantha says she likes nothing better than licking the nuts off a big Neapolitan."

And to think that this was broadcast at 12 noon on a Sunday.

[Golden Triangle]

I have just tried the new Farmhouse 12 grain Royal bread, available from 7/11s,  Mini Big C & Tesco express for those of you out in the boonies  Only 5 slices per pack, but really thick slices, toasts up nicely and great for Cheese on Toast etc, not sweet which is nice.

 

I used to get the Multi Grain Gluten free loaf from Big C but the freezer is full atm so just nip to the local shop if I want a decent sarnie or toast