For years, white bread has been demonized for being full of additives and lacking essential nutrients.
Well, now scientists are trying to create a “healthier” version of traditional bread.
Under a government-funded project, bakers will mix peas, beans and cereals with bread.
Bran and wheat germ, which are normally removed from white flour, will also be returned.
Experts hope the end result will be a white bread that is rich in nutrients and still tasty.
Researchers are adding peas, beans and cereals to the bread mix, as well as bran and wheat germ that are normally removed from white flour; Researchers hope that white bread lovers can enjoy nutrient-dense bread.
Previous attempts to do so have failed to satisfy customers’ palates.
The research, carried out by Aberystwyth University, comes after experts insisted last month that white bread is not “as bad as many people think”.
Dr. Catherine Howarth, one of the project leaders, told the bbc They are analyzing the chemical composition of white flour.
Currently, all white and brown flours must be fortified with calcium, iron, thiamine (vitamin B1), and niacin (vitamin B3).
But the exact nutritional details may vary between them.
Dr Howarth said creating the new bread would be a delicate balancing act of maintaining the taste and texture of white bread but giving it a nutritional boost.
It will involve adding back smaller amounts of the wheat germ and part of the bran that are extracted in the milling process.
The researchers will also add other cereals richer in vitamins, minerals and fiber such as quinoa, teff, sorghum and millet.
Peas and chickpeas are also added to provide additional protein.
The new white bread, still in its early stages of research, will be unlike any other bread on the market, including 50/50 breads, which use 50 percent whole wheat flour and no chunks.
Instead, it will be a completely white bread, but only with added nutrients.
By adding cereals, scientists can improve levels of iron, zinc and vitamins.
But most importantly, they can also increase fiber levels, something that white bread lacks compared to whole wheat bread.
Mass-produced white breads in supermarkets are now widely considered an ultra-processed food (UPF), generally anything edible that has more artificial than natural ingredients.
These include chemicals, dyes, sweeteners and preservatives that extend shelf life.
White bread contains about 2.8g of sugar and 0.72g of salt in two slices, it only contains 2g of fiber and 7g of protein.
Advocates of low-carb diets have also long vilified white bread, warning that its higher carbohydrate content can cause blood sugar spikes that make us more irritable, tired and susceptible to weight gain.
Still, Dietitians say there’s nothing wrong with supermarket white bread, which also contains vital nutrients.
Dr Duane Mellor, of the British Dietetic Association, said: “It is important to remember that in the UK we already fortify white wheat flour to match wholemeal flour in terms of iron, calcium, thiamine and niacin.”
However, whole wheat bread is slightly better for you, experts insist. That’s because it contains more fiber and protein.
“When comparing whole wheat flour and white flour, the main difference is fiber, which could help using peas and other plant sources,” Dr. Mellor said.
“In terms of additional protein, this may seem good, but in bread protein may have more than nutritional value, as gluten is important in giving structure to bread.”
Eating whole wheat bread is an easy way to increase our fiber intake, according to Professor Gunter Kuhnle, an industry-renowned food scientist at the University of Reading.
He said: ‘The main problem with white bread is that it often contains very little fiber or whole grains.
‘There are breads that are designed to be rich in fiber or have more whole grains, but not all are.
“In general, we don’t eat enough fiber and bread is an easy way to increase it.”
Two slices of whole wheat flour contain approximately 2 g of sugar and 0.86 g of salt. It also contains about three times the amount of fiber with 6g in two slices and 9.4g of protein.
In just two slices of white bread there are about 36 g of carbohydrates. Similar levels are found in two slices of granulated whole wheat flour.
While white bread contains about 2.8 g of sugar and 0.72 g of salt in two slices, it only contains 2 g of fiber and 7 g of protein.
In comparison, two slices of whole wheat flour contain approximately 2 g of sugar and 0.86 g of salt. It also contains about three times the amount of fiber with 6g in two servings and 9.4g of protein.
This healthy white bread is expected to be on supermarket shelves in about two years.
But first, Dr Howarth will need to come up with some possible recipes and present them to Chris Holister, product development manager at Gloucestershire flour producer Shipton Mill, who will turn the recipes into bread.
Eventually, the healthy breads will be tested on people to see if they can distinguish them from the sliced white breads from supermarkets.
But Holister admits there is still a lot of work to do.
