Tory,

Let me say first that I am not an expert in this area and am just getting a feel for the make up of various flours.

I believe that the mills bromate and bleach their products for two reasons. First, the US market wanted white breads and not that creamy off color that occurs naturally in grain. White breads were all the rage so some genius came up with a process to whiten up the flour. Second, The mills decided that they could temper or age the newly ground grain chemically using bleaches and bromates. The industry became convinced that green (freshly ground) flour needed to age for up to two Months to produce good bread. The large mills produce over a million pounds every day so you can imagine what they thought about storing 60 million pounds of rodent bait while it aged. Adding bleaching and bromating eliminated the wait.

If you want to understand a little about this subject from a historical point, please take a few minutes to read this article. Scroll down to ADULTERATION OF FLOUR

The entire paper is quite interesting and shocking in some ways. If you care about the health of your family (and who doesn't) you should read this paper.

Many of the members here grind their own flours or use unbleached and unbromated flours exclusively. Most of us got started doing so while learning to bake artisan style breads because they are so much better tasting. The myth about aging seems to have been blown recently by the owner of Guistos Flours of San Francisco. They are one of the largest mills in the US and produce a very good artisan grade flour and he says aging is a myth.

So, short question, long answer. Sorry but this is an area that all of should understand a little better and I hope others will check out the report at the link above.

Eric

bromates are used in very small amounts 8 to 16 ppm and for good reason.  although they are used in flour as a dough improver bromates are a known cancer causing agent and have banned in many countries.  they are still permited for use in the US in all states. CA however has a law that states that any baked goods that contain bromates must have a warning lable on the package stating that bromates have been used in the item.

bleaching will whiten the flour which will give the finished product a very white look (see the inside of a wonder bread)  but does have a weakening affect on the gluten. so a bleached flour will be not as strong as unbleached.  this can affect the bread resulting in a more dense loaf.  also when using bleached flour you should watch how much proof you give before baking, because the gluten is weakened the bread that looks like it has the right amount of proof could colaspe in the oven.   as it rises in the oven it will not have enough foundation to support its self and fall completly or sink in the middle.

Bromate has been banned since 1990 from use in the UK. Its also banned throughout the entire EU.

Since 1991 the US FDA has been advising US bakers not to use it. (There's a daft legal technicality that prevents them banning it.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bromate

The use of other chemical bleaches has been banned in the UK since 1999.

However, I gather that the functionality is being replicated by adding specific extra enzymes to flours that are not described as 'unbleached' (so they are kinda differently bleached). I'm not entirely sure this is progress!

The point about California is accurate. "Proposition 65" modified "The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986" to require that the use of specific, listed, (considered dangerous) chemicals (including Potassium Bromate) be publicly notified, including on product labels.

 

I find it bizarre that Suas' (San Fransisco Baking Institute for heaven's sake) book should, quite inaccurately state that the use of bromates is "banned" in California.

It isn't.

Even if it ought to be.

And even more bizarre that Suas should then explain the "advantages" (to bakers that don't bother about poisoning their customers) of using bromated flour.

ok... couple of clarification here..

Flours are current bleached for 2 reasons...

1. Color.  As Eric (ehanner) said, as some point of time.. Good citizen of USA decided that white bread should be white not cream...
2. Spead up oxidation.  Green (freshly milled) flour is lacked of the gluten developement strength, therefore, as Alton Brown will say, not good eats.  That's why old timers often age them upto 2 months to 'rest' the flour (however, that also increase cost & spoilage).  In the process of 'resting,' flours are conditions by oxygen (oxidation of the gluten).  Nowadays, bleach is used as an oxidation agent to speed up the process & lower cost of storage and spoilage.  So you can have purchase a 5lb bag at your local maret for about $5!

You can purchase unbleached (or as this article entitled,'unbromated') flours in your local market now, which just means they were aged with any chemical.. that's all...