[Choice of bread].

Abstract

Bread can vary according to the flours used, extraction rate of fermentation methods, but the wast majority of French people usually consume white bread made with wheat flour. Size more than composition is the main criterion in the choice of bread. The choice of loaves with a large diameter corresponds to the traditional consumer in rural areas, but the general tendency is in favour of long loaves with a maximum of crust. This shape is more related to the qualities sought by consumers who want a "light", "crusty", well-baked (golden brown) loaf. Thus they are more interested in the consistency than in the taste, as bread is now only an accessory to a well-flavoured dish. Despite the large drop in the consumption of bread, this search for a good consistency is strong enough to justify quite frequently a detour to a baker whose quality of bread is better. However, this desire for quality does not seem to lead to a larger individual consumption. For various reasons, since the beginning of this century, man has lost his "taste for bread" and any improvement in the "taste of bread" would not be sufficient to make him find it again.