9 Stages for Preparing Italian & Wheat breads

Panning: The process of placing frozen dough sticks on bread forms and frozen deli
pieces on bread pans. Be sure to place the bread sticks seam side down. If additional
retarder capacity is needed, place up to 12 (w/4 wide forms) on a half size tray without a
bread form. This may increase retarding time, due to extra volume of frozen product.
Retarding: The process of defrosting (thawing) dough in a retarder cabinet in the cooler
for 8-12 hours at a temperature cold enough to keep the dough from rising. This process
allows the dough to age so the baked product has the proper taste and texture. Keep the
retarder cabinet door closed and latched to protect the dough from spills, drying out and
fumes. In order to maintain a continuous baking cycle, there should always be bread in
the retarder!!

Scoring: The process of putting very slight, diagonal slashes in the top of each retarded
footlong (30cm) bread. Gives each baked bread a unique look of authentic home-style
bread. Place trays of retarded bread sticks on the food preparation table. Turn any bread
sticks that may have shifted so the seam side is down. To score the bread stick, envision
the stick in five equal sections. Next envision a line running lengthwise down the center
of the bread. Using the approved scoring knife, make four 1(3.8 cm), 1/8 (3mm) deep
across the intersecting points.
Floor Retarding: The process of leaving the retarded bread/deli rolls out at room
temperature for 20 minutes before placing them in the proofer. This prevents the dough
from being shocked because of the extreme temperature difference when the pans are
taken from the retarder and put into the proofer.
Spraying: Spray a fine mist of water from a properly labeled spray bottle, over the entire
surface of the bread sticks/deli rolls. Do this before placing dough in the proofer. This
helps to keep the bread moist and prevents a hard crust from forming.
Field Staff Comments and Operational Direction:
Spraying:Do this before placing dough in the proofer.
This is an important step and may be a revision from any previous training or
Guidelines- Ensure that all staff and stores are up to date and have the latest Operations
Manual.

Proofing: The process of exposing the retarded dough to a proper combination of heat
and humidity to stimulate the yeast action and encourage the rising of the dough. The
rising occurs because the yeast (a living organism) feeds on the sugar and the starch
portion of the flour in the dough. This produces carbon dioxide, a gas. This trapped gas
causes the dough to rise. Proofing is the most important step in making beautiful, top
quality breads and deli rolls!! Footlong breads will take 50 - 60 minutes to proof. Deli
rolls will take 35- 40 minutes to proof. Set the proofer to appropriate temperature (100

- 105 F/37.8 - 40.6C). Place the first batch of scored, sprayed bread that has been at
room temperature for 20 minutes, into the proofer. Do not put more pans in at one time
than there are shelves in your oven.
Fill the proofer water pan at the bottom of the proofer with clean, fresh water every day.
Remember keep it full & keep it clean!! Turn the Proofer Humidity Dial to the
appropriate setting (3-5 on the dial). When the proofer has reached the proper humidity
level, the door will be covered with a fine mist. The setting may vary, depending on the
humidity present in the restaurant itself or from location to location.
Proofing Guidelines: Timing is only a guideline. It is ready to bake based on the size of
the dough alone. Proof footlong (30cm) dough until the bread reaches 75% of its desired
baked size. Proof deli pieces until the roll is approximately 4 (10 cm) wide and 1.75
high. While proofing, the dough will feel slightly tacky. If dry, increase the humidity
setting slightly. When finished it should feel silky-smooth, not dry or crusty. If air
bubbles develop on the bread sticks or deli rolls, during proofing, pop them with the point
of a knife before the bread is put in the oven. Never put frozen dough into the proofer.
The dough will proof on the outside, but on the inside resulting in a baked bread that
lacks flavor and coloring and collapses when pulled from the oven.
Field Staff Comments and Operational Direction:

Baking: The process of cooking in an oven by dry and continuous heat. Pre-heat the oven
to 350F (177C). Pre-heating times may vary depending on your oven model (check all
3 thermostats on deck ovens). Place properly proofed dough into the oven. Slide pans all
the way to the back wall of the oven and pull them forward slightly to allow for proper air
circulation. Set the timer for the appropriate baking time. Baking times for Deli-style
rolls is 14-16 minutes. Baking times for footlong breads varies depending upon your oven
model:
Duke/MIWE: 14-18 min - NuVu: 18-22 min - Super Systems: 15-19 min - Doyon: 13-17
min
When the timer goes off, check the bread in the oven. They should be a Rich Golden
Brown color!!! Wheat bread is difficult to determine when finished, so timing is critical.
Try to bake a pan of Italian with all Wheat breads.
Field Staff Comments and Operational Direction:

Cooling: Once bread is properly baked, remove the pans from the oven immediately. Do
not leave the oven door open for extended periods of time, as the oven temperature will
decrease rapidly. Place them in the enclosed bread cabinet to cool. Load the pans from
the bottom of the cabinet up.

Place the bread removed from the oven above all other bread in the cabinet HOT ON
TOP!! This allows the steam to escape without heating up previously cooled pans. If hot
bread is placed under cooled bread, moisture forms in the cabinet and causes already
cooled bread to wrinkle and collapse. Place bread pans on each row of the rack to avoid
excess air spaces, which would cause the bread/roll crust to become dry and/or hard. In
order to control the proper level of humidity in the cabinet, open the ceiling vent after
placing each cycle of bread to allow steam to escape.
Close the vent after the bread has cooled (approximately 15 minutes). If at any point
water is running down the inside of the cabinet doors, open the vent and/or doors for
approximately 10 minutes. After the baking cycles are complete, close the vents and
doors to prevent the bread from drying out and getting crusty. Allow at least 20 minutes
for footlong (30cm) bread and 15-20 minutes for Deli rolls to cool before serving. Used
cooled bread from the bottom up.
Storage: Store and Display bread and deli rolls in enclosed bread cabinet next to the
oven. This display is intended to reinforce the FRESH-BAKED quality of our product.
Bread must be stored in the cabinet on the bread pans. Once bread has completely cooled,
you may remove the bread forms and stack breads no more than 2 high per pan
(maximum of eight 4-wide/ten 5-wide).
Field Staff Comments and Operational Direction:

Additional Stages for Preparing Seasoned and Cheese Breads

Seasoned Breads: The same 9 stages are followed when preparing our Seasoned Bread,
just in a slightly different order and one more step! Begin with panning and retarding, but
now the next step becomes the spraying of the bread on a bread pan with no form, in
order to moisten the bread to allow the seasonings to stick. Roll the bread stick in the
seasoning (in a party bread form) 2/3 of the way around. Place the coated bread stick,
seam side down (which is the side with no seasonings). Score, Floor Retard, Proof, Bake,
Cool and Store as normal.
Seasoned Cheese Breads: Follow the same steps as Seasoned Breads up until it's time to
bake. Before baking, pull each pan, one at a time, from the proofer, lightly mist, sprinkle
0.5oz (14g) of Shredded Cheese evenly across the top of each bread. Do not exceed
0.5oz (14g) this will cause the bread to collapse. Use a portion controlled cup to
sprinkle the cheese to avoid over portioning. Bake, cool and store as normal.
Field Staff Comments and Operational Direction:

Baking and Proofing Tips

Baking Process Tips: The average time to complete a baking cycle is 2 hours and 10
minutes. This average is determined by anticipating 20 minutes for floor retarding, 60
minutes for proofing, 20 minutes for baking and 30 minutes for cooling. This
information is very helpful when determining a baking schedule. Discard all bread that
was baked the night before by 11am the next morning. There are many trouble shooting
techniques that you can review with staff. Excellent Bread is easy to achieve. Follow the
baking process steps every time and you'll have great bread every time!!
Bread Merchandising Display: First Impressions this is where our customers make
their choice!! Must be sure to replace the breads in display as often as needed daily!!
Properly label each bread. Always be prepared and have all varieties ready to serve
throughout the day.
Don't Forget the Cookies: Bake cookies often all day the aroma will help them sell
themselves. Pre-heat (or cool down) the oven temperature to 325F (162.8C). Bake on a
Silpat Liner or baking sheet for 11-14 minutes. Remove from the oven while they are
light brown in the middle, as they will continue to bake on the tray for about 3-5 minutes
after they are removed from the oven. Properly baked cookies will be 3.25"-3.75" (8cm9.5cm) in diameter. Allow cookies to cool for 20 minutes prior to removing from tray
and placing in cookie case.
Field Staff Comments and Operational Direction:
.

Common Proofing Problems:

Under-Proofed: Under-proofed dough is undersized and will not rise to the proper size in
the oven. Bread will be light in color, rubbery and taste sour. This is caused by the gases
not being allowed to escape from the dough while it is being proofed.
Over-Proofed: If dough is over-proofed, bubbles will begin to form on the outside of the
product. This will cause dough to collapse when baked and bread to have brown spots.
It will be dry and lack taste resulting in an inferior product.
Too Much Heat: When the temperature in the proofer is too high, the yeast will be
activated prematurely and the dough will start to bake too soon. The baked bread will
have a crust like a shell and it will have big holes inside.
Too Little Heat: This causes the yeast to react very slowly, Increases proofing time.
Too Much Humidity: Too much humidity will cause the dough to become heavy with
excess moisture. This will increase proof time and/or prevent the dough from rising
adequately. Water spots will form on the pan above and drip on the bread below
creating brown spots on the baked bread. Bubbles on the baked bread crust may also
occur.

Too Little Humidity: Too little humidity will cause the product to get dry and have a skin,
as well as cause improper rising. Proofing time will be extended and a flaky, crumbly
crust will occur in the baked bread.
Common Baking Problems:
Too Low Heat: When the product is baked at a low temperature, it will take longer to
bake, it will not color and it will dry out.
Too High Heat: When the product is baked at a high temperature, it will bake on the
outside, not the inside. It may collapse when pulled from the oven.
Field Staff Comments and Operational Direction:
Replace this text with specific direction regarding the above procedures.

Equipment & Maintenance Review

This section is designed to provide you with a checklist when assessing each piece of
equipment involved with the baking process. Clean and well functioning equipment, no
matter how big or small, is critical to the success of our end product. Be sure that
everyone on your team knows how to properly maintain, clean and operate each piece of
equipment, as well as handle product.
Receiving Products:
o Clean, Undamaged Packaging
o Check Product Not Thawed and Refrozen; No Excess Ice Crystals
o Sticks should Roll not Shift
o Current Shelf Life -Date and Rotate Product FIFO
o Store in Freezer @ 0F
Receiving Area:
o Clean, Neat, Organized, Well-lit
Freezer:
o Clean, Neat, Organized, Well-lit
o FIFO - Good Rotation & Dating
o Secondary NSF Thermometer in use
Refrigerator:
o Clean, Neat, Organized, Well-lit
o FIFO - Good Rotation & Dating
o Secondary NSF Thermometer in use
Retarder Cabinet:
o Clean, In Good Repair
o In use, throughout the Day
Bread Pans:
o Cleaned After Every Use
Bread Forms/Silpat Liners:
o Cleaned After Every Use

o Great Condition - Not Torn

Bread Rack:
o Clean, Vent Operational
o Great Visual Appeal (Replace Glass As Needed), No Signs/Charts
Oven Mitts:
o Clean - No Holes
Scoring Knife:
o Clean/Replace When Necessary
Spray Bottle:
o Properly Labeled
o Clean, Fresh Water
Proofer:
o Clean (No Smell), Well-lit
o Water Changed & Pan Cleaned Daily
o When Finished, Turn Unit Off & Leave Door Open
o Temperature & Humidity:
o Preheat to Right Temp. 105 for 20 Minutes
o Humidity Dial Set between 3 - 5
o Mist on Glass - Continuous Dripping Too High
Oven:
o This is our Baking Center Headquarters
o Clean, In Good Repair - Great Visual Appeal Glass Clean, Bulbs Lit
o Preheated to Correct Temp. For 20 Minutes
o Secondary NSF Thermometer in use
o Attachment for Thermocouple Available to Verify Internal Temperature
Cleaning and Maintenance:
o Operations Manual Chapter 13 - Step by Step Procedures
o Calibration Techniques
o Certified Equipment Technician
o Refer to Owner's Manual
Field Staff Comments and Operational Direction:
More tips to help create a baking schedule.
Hourly readings and deposits are great to use as a guide. Bread usage report is also a
great tool at indicating how many breads are used.
Please refer to the Subway Partners site which has more information on a Baking Chart.