Frequently Asked Questions
Brace’s bread products are suitable for Vegetarians, we don’t use animal fats in our products. However, Brace’s Welsh cakes are not suitable for Vegans or those suffering from lactose intolerance.
All Brace’s products contain wheat and therefore gluten so these should be avoided by those suffering from coeliac disease.
Salt is required for adding flavour to the bread, but it is also an essential ingredient for large-scale plant bread making. The amount added is below 1.8% of the flour weight to control fermentation, which helps to produce a loaf of good volume and texture. Incorrect levels of salt can affect the bread in a number of ways:
- Too little salt allows excess yeast fermentation resulting in large and variable sized loaves.
- Too much salt slows the yeast activity resulting in small loaves.
- Incorrect salt levels also affects the structure of the crumb and colour of the crust.
Calcium Propionate is a mould inhibitor, which delays the rate of mould growth thus maintaining the shelf life of the bread.
These are used to ensure good loaf volume and improve the crumb structure, softness and colour. Vitamin C, or Ascorbic Acid, (E300) is the most common flour treatment agent used in bread making.
All Brace’s products are good for toasting but our White, Wholemeal and Brown 800g and even our Half Loaves are ideal as they are square cut and ideal for the toaster! Brace’s XXX (pink wrapper), is our thickest square shaped loaf and makes doorstop toast…scrumptious.
The ideal place for storing bread is in a cool dark place – the bread bin. Storing it in the fridge speeds up the staling process.
Yes, Brace’s bread can be frozen for up to 3 months, ideally on the day of purchase. It is best to defrost the bread naturally but it can be toasted from frozen.
Welsh cakes are traditionally made from a sweet mix, baked on a hotplate until golden brown and then sprinkled with sugar, delicious with a cup of tea! Welsh cakes have been a teatime favourite in Wales for centuries, eaten regularly in farmhouses and cottages alike, and leftovers given to the miners in their ‘tocyn’ – lunchbox.
White bread is not ‘bad’ for you but wholemeal bread has greater nutritional benefits;
While white bread has less fibre, minerals and B vitamins than wholemeal, it remains a significant source of these and a basic food that’s still good for you. Being low in fat, it fits with the guidelines for good health and nutrition.
Wholemeal bread has more fibre, minerals and vitamins than white. Wholemeal’s greatest advantage is its higher fibre content, which can be up to three times greater than that of white bread. Grainy loaves, such as Brace’s Malted Grain has a slower rate of digestion and absorption (lower Glycaemic Index), which is helpful for those with diabetes, heart disease or wanting to lose weight.
All types of bread provide a range of essential nutrients like carbohydrate, fibre and B vitamins (particularly thiamine and niacin), protein and minerals for very little fat or kilocalories.
Wholemeal bread uses 100% of the wheat grain so nothing added or taken away. Brown bread flour contains 85% of the wheat grain; some of the bran and germ have been removed. Brown flour can also be manufactured by adding wheat bran to white flour. Although Brown bread does not contain as much fibre as Wholemeal bread it is still a good source of fibre and better than White bread.
Nutritionists recommend that adults should obtain 18g of fibre per day. Fibre is essential for a health digestive system and six slices of wholemeal bread a day can provide up to 30% of this requirement.