Fat is usually the main contributor of flavor in most baked goods. Lean breads, however, only consist of flour, water, yeast, and salt.

Except for salt, these ingredients are almost tasteless and flavorless by themselves. Yet, when they are combined together along with the benefit of a little time, they prove that the whole is greater than its parts.

Over 70% of flour content is starch which is, as we all know, a complex carbohydrate. The rest is mostly proteins.

There are two main types of proteins that are helpful in bread baking.

1. Gluten proteins, gliadin and glutenin, are instrumental in building texture and structure.

2. Enzymes are the other type of proteins. They are responsible for breaking down starch into simple sugars.

Yeast, a one-cell microorganism, feeds on some of these simple sugars, and releases carbon dioxide alo

ng with alcohol. The end result of this reaction is a desirable leavening effect.

The rest of these converted simple sugars contributes significantly to the enjoyable flavor of a freshly-made loaf of lean bread.

Flavor development occurs mostly during primary fermentation. This is an adequate amount of resting time. During this time, bread dough also rises as a result of carbon dioxide production from yeast and gluten development from gliadin and glutenin.

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