Bread Manufacturing Course

This course focuses on the steps to manufacture pan bread, using a sponge and dough system, the most common dough system for white pan bread. The course comprises scaling ingredients, mixing, and fermentation, covering information common for all dough systems and highlighting differences with other dough systems.

The course then branches into each dough system learning the mixing and fermentation specifics. The dough systems are listed from most to least commonly used for large-scale production. Additional learning objectives include liquid fermentation and continuous mix, which are simplified to illustrate the primary process.

• Fully digitized through the Academy Portal
• Duration: 8 hours, up to six weeks to finish.
• Available languages: English & Spanish
• Final Test: 80% Final GPA to receive a graduation certificate.

The course is divided into two sections comprised of 20 modules.

Manufacturing Process – Part 1:

1. Manufacturing Process Introduction
2. Ingredient Scaling: This module covers the purpose of ingredient scaling, the importance of scaling ingredients accurately, and the effect of over-and under-scaling ingredients on both the dough and finished product.
3. Mixing: This module covers the purpose of ingredient scaling, the importance of scaling ingredients accurately, and the effect of over-and under-scaling ingredients on both the dough and finished product.
4. Fermentation: This module focuses on fermentation, covering its purpose, the difference between fermentation and floor time, and how factors such as temperature, pH, TTA, and seasonal changes affect fermentation.
5. Dough Systems: Sponge and Dough: With the basics of mixing and fermentation covered, this module delves into the specifics of the sponge and dough system, the most common dough system used for large-scale production of white pan breads.
6. Dough Systems: Liquid Fermentation: This module covers the process and equipment for the liquid fermentation dough system, focusing on how it is different from other dough systems, the differences between a broth and a liquid brew, the advantages, and disadvantages of liquid fermentation, and the acceptable benchmarked ranges for equipment, times, temperatures, pH, and T-T-A.
7. Dough Systems Straight Dough: This module explains the steps of the straight dough system, highlighting benchmark ranges such as times and temperatures for each step. It also identifies characteristics of doughs that are either over- and under-mixed as well as those that are over-or under-fermented. It also presents the advantages and disadvantages of the straight dough system.
8. Dough Systems: No Time Dough: This module focuses on the process and equipment differences for the no-time dough system, its advantages and disadvantages, and the benchmarked production settings such as times, temperatures, and formula adjustments.
9. Dough Systems: Continuous Mix: At the end of this module, you’ll be able to explain the process and equipment differences, in general, for the continuous mix system, list acceptable benchmarked production setting ranges for dough temperature, and explain the advantages and disadvantages of the system.
10. Dough Systems: Compare Dough Systems: By the end of this module, you’ll be able to compare and contrast the doughs systems and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Manufacturing Process – Part 2:

1. Manufacturing Process Introduction
2. Dividing: In this module, you’ll learn the purpose of dividing, how temperature and age of the dough impact dividing, and quality production controls for this step of the bread manufacturing process. You’ll also learn about the common types of dough dividers and common adjustments to dividing.
3. Rounding: This module covers the purpose of rounding, how dough temperature affects this step, quality production checks, types of dough rounders, and common adjustments to rounding.
4. Intermediate Proof: This module covers the purpose of intermediate proofing, types of proofers, and adjustments for intermediate proofing.
5. Sheeting and Moulding: This module covers the purpose of ingredient scaling, the importance of scaling ingredients accurately, and the effect of over-and under-scaling ingredients on both the dough and finished product. You’ll also learn the purpose of common adjustments for sheeting and moulding. For moulding, you’ll also learn what happens to the dough, the different types of moulders and processes, and finished product attributes of poor moulding. You’ll also learn how temperature and age impact the dough as well as quality production checks for both steps.
6. Panning: This module covers the purpose of panning, optimum pan conditions, and quality production checks to achieve desired finished product attributes. You’ll also learn the finished product attributes from poor panning, the common types of pans used, proper pan care, and how to calculate the number of pans needed for a continuous run.
7. Proofing: In this module, you’ll learn the purpose of proofing, critical quality production checks, and the factors that impact this step, including dough temperature, proof box set temperatures, and dry and moist relative humidity conditions. You’ll also learn how the changes in seasons affect proofing, effects of under- and over-proofing, common types of proof boxes, and common adjustments.
8. Topping and Splitting: In this module, you’ll learn the purpose, adjustments, and quality production checks for topping and splitting. You will also learn about the variations of bread topping.
9. Baking: In this module, you will learn the purpose of baking, what this step does to the dough components, and how the dough is transformed into a baked bread product. You will also learn the critical quality production checks for baking of pan breads and bread attributes from over-and under-baking. You will learn about the difference between direct-fired and indirect-fired ovens, types of ovens, and three modes of heat transfer. Finally, you will learn some common oven problems and adjustments and the purpose of baking with steam.
10. Depanning and Cooling: This module covers the purpose of depanning, methods for depanning, and bread attributes from poor depanning. You’ll also learn the quality production checks and preventative maintenance for depanning. The module also covers the purpose of cooling, what cooling does to the bread, and ways to cool bread. You’ll learn how ambient temperature impacts cooling and why changes in seasons affect cooling. Additionally, you’ll learn the common adjustments for cooling, attributes of too warm and too cool bread, and quality production checks for cooling pan breads.
11. Packaging: This module covers the purpose, bread temperature impacts, common problems, adjustments, and quality production checks for metal detectors, slicers, and baggers. You will also learn about the types of slicers and baggers used in the industry. Finally, you will learn about the effects of bread staling and the role of the packaging step in staling.

ACCESS THE COURSE THROUGH THE EASY-TO-USE BAKERS MANUFACTURING ACADEMY PORTAL.

Course Enrollment Information: 

• Completion Time: Eight hours
• Enrollment period: Six weeks
• Resource guide with comprehensive Glossary of Terms printout available 
• Final Test: Students must score 80% GPA to complete the course successfully 

ABA Members: $250

Non-Member: $500

How to become an ABA Member.

Option 1: Facilities

ABA Members and baking/supplier facilities can enroll employees within the Portal. Enroll facilities here.  

Option 2: Individual 

Individuals can enroll in any of the available educational programs without having to go through a bakery/facility. You must create an account and once approved by an ABA Education Staff member will be in touch with your approval. You will be required to pre-pay for a course before you are able to gain access to the educational materials.

In addition to specific content for each step, at the highest level upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Explain the purpose of each step of the manufacturing process.
2. Describe dough and finished product characteristics of over-or under- performing each step in the manufacturing process.
3. Identify corrections for over-or under- performing each step in the manufacturing process.
4. Identify critical quality production controls for each step in the manufacturing process.
5. Identify common equipment used for each step in the manufacturing process.
6. Explain each unique step of each dough system.
7. Identify acceptable benchmark ranges for each dough system (unique ingredients, time, temperature, equipment, pH/TTA, etc.).
8. Explain common adjustments for each dough system.
9. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of each dough system.
10. Compare and contrast the dough systems.
11. Describe how dough temperature (and age) affects the manufacturing process.
12. Identify common adjustments to each manufacturing process step.

1. The course is comprised of 20 modules. The course begins through an independent study by reading the syllabus and accessing both part one and part two of the educational lesson materials. Each interactive module has built-in knowledge checks to test your understanding throughout the course.
2. Each module has a final knowledge assessment to gauge your understanding of knowledge checks throughout the course. The resulting score does not count towards the final grade. This score gives students a sense of how they’ve grasped, applied, or otherwise made sense of the educational materials presented. By passing within the threshold score, students can accurately measure the effectiveness and impact of training and ability to pass the final test.
3. Following the educational materials, students must complete an exit survey and a final test. Students must take the final test with a GPA of 80% or higher within three (3) attempts to receive a graduation certificate. If you do not successfully pass the final test after three (3) attempts, you may contact our Education Department team (academy@ameicanbakers.org) for information on how to obtain an additional attempt. (Registration fees may apply.)
4. Plan to complete the lessons in order.  Some activities will not be accessible until you have completed a required activity before it.