MECATHERM launched the AUTHENTIK BAGUETTE, a solution that allows manufacturers to bake more authentic products, with a product positioned midway between the classic baguette and the artisan-style baguette. Together with the new technology, the French company developed a new recipe for industrial bakeries looking for an update to classic baguettes.

The Authentik Baguette is a natural product made from basic ingredients: water, flour, salt, yeast and vitamin C. Its hydration rate, which is almost 5% to 10% higher than that of the classic baguette, makes it possible to produce a baguette that is fully baked in the factory before freezing. This has the major advantage of a warming time reduced to three minutes at the sales point, compared to a bake-off of 10 to 15 minutes for a classic parbaked baguette. Distributors can therefore be much more responsive when refilling their shelves, avoiding waste and offering products with a uniform bake and color, as they are produced entirely in the factory. With a more hydrated dough, the Authentik Baguette has a shelf life twice as long as a classic baguette.

The baguette MECATHERM proposes combines the advantages of the classic baguette and the artisan-style baguette, and is suitable for industrial production, allowing industrial bakeries to easily upgrade their production lines while maintaining a profitable business model, the company detailed. “Consumers are increasingly looking for quality products and natural recipes. This is a very marked market trend” says François Retailleau, Product manager for Lines solutions at MECATHERM. “That is why, in response to this request, our expert bakers worked on a recipe based on simple ingredients. The technical challenge was to make this more delicate type of dough on an industrial scale”.

MECATHERM has a tradition in innovations for the industrial production of baguettes of over 50 years. The new solutions aim to meet the demands of consumers who look for quality products, with natural ingredients, at a low price, and those of the distributors who need baguettes to be easy to prepare and use for snacks, with a long shelf life and consistent quality.

How to upgrade an existing baguette production line?

A hydrated and rested dough is challenging to process, particularly when dividing it, explained Christophe Mey, expert master baker and demonstration manager at MECATHERM. To address this, MECATHERM has designed equipment improvements that can be easily integrated into existing operational production lines.

Of all the stages of the Baguette Authentik manufacturing process, three of them require special attention and modifications to be made on a production line for classic baguettes: kneading, dividing, and baking:

• A kneading carousel to manage additional resting times
• M-NS divider to process hydrated dough
• An additional vertical oven module to ensure a full bake

Olivier Sergent, MECATHERM President, commented: “Industrial baking is changing. Consumer expectations are evolving towards more diversity but also higher quality products, made with more natural ingredients. As a French manufacturer and expert in the baguette market, we are proud to have taken up the challenge of the Authentik Baguette. We are convinced that this innovative solution will enable our customers to better meet new market expectations, without compromising their industrial performance, while integrating the new challenges related to sustainable development.”