I love this site! After taking the lessons, I can FINALLY make decent bread.
So now I'm experimenting. I added one T. beet powder to my favorite white bread recipe.
Can any of you breadheads* out there tell me why my beet bread isn't PINK in the center? It isn't even white. It's brown, like whole wheat! Only the crust is PINK. Here's a photo:
Thanks,
Deb
*so called with much respect and admiration
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Can't answer the question, but I have to admit that THAT is one of the coolest looking loaves I've ever seen!
Brian
Thanks, Brian! It's pretty yummy, too. I just tried the exact same trick with some tomato powder instead of beet powder. The loaf came out nice and evenly orange throughout, with a slight tomato flavor. Go figger...
Deb
Take a look at this thread, where there was some discussion of this previously:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/14231/chameleon-bread#comments
I might believe the chemical reaction occurring inside the loaf is responsible for the color change, whether or not it's an oxidation or reduction reaction, I can't say. Two differences between the outside of the loaf and the inside that I can think of are a) the outside is dry while the inside has moisture (the chemical reaction must need in a moist environment), and b) the outside is much hotter than the inside of the loaf. If the reaction is enzymatic, then maybe the process is stopped on the outside before it is stopped on the inside? Don't know ...this is all conjecture, but it's an interesting topic.
Brian
Apparently, something(method, ingredients?) in this recipe keeps the red stable, in the crust and crumb:
http://lipsmackinggoodness.blogspot.com/2009/03/psychedelic-dill-beet-bread.html
Beet puree was used here, so maybe that accounts for the stable color.
Maybe something about the processing involved in creating the powder? Maybe it's artificially colored and that's what changed? Interesting. And of course, there are MANY types of beets in the world. It's all good.
Brian