Why is bread from bakeries softer than homemade bread?

Answer 1

Mostly chemicals, but also professional baking experience. You can make "softer" bread by baking it at a lower oven temp, thus keeping the crust from becoming as crisp and chewy. Storing bread in plastic (AFTER IT HAS COMPLETELY COOLED) will also soften the crust. Using a baking thermometer and pulling the loaf from the oven when its internal temperature is 195°F-200°F leaves more moisture in the crumb, though many folks consider this underbaked.

The last way is to resort to chemicals... Egg yolks contain lecithin, which is an emulsifier, and can help retain moisture. Richer loaves, with more oil and/or sugar, also tend to keep more "moist". Milk can also help moisten a loaf, the casein and fat content both contribute to this. If you want to go crazy, you can purchase and add many other products, such as refined lecithin, pectin, or gelatin.

Answer 2

Bakeries often have specially formulated dough conditioners... these can be as natural as blending different flours with wheat gluten or they can be food grade chemicals that make bread softer. You can check the ingredients with the baker or on the bread bag.

I have found that adding wheat gluten and using dried milk in my homemade breads makes them softer. Also, adding an extra rise time can help.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I am not sure what bakery you are going to but the ones I frequent use all fresh ingredients while store bought has preservatives. Think about it, bakery bread is within a day, store bought is probably days old...

Answer 4

They use chemicals but you can use half water/half milk to make it softer.

Answer 5

In my experience, it's not.

Answer 6

they add leaveners and let it rise more.