Its 4am. The ovens are hot, and the baker opens a 10kg tub of hazelnut spread. There’s an oily ring on top but underneath there is a dense, dry block. The baker sighs and whips out the paddle.
After 15 minutes of stirring, the mixture looks smooth and ready to go. The baker fills a tray of croissants and places them in the oven. When they come out only half of the filling has been absorbed and the rest has leaked and burnt.
This wasn’t due to negligence. The spread just doesn’t work for a busy bakery. This is why many owners will look to change to a better Bulk Dessert Spreads for Bakers.
What Causes Failure?
Spread failure doesn’t usually happen suddenly, it happens slowly. A few small issues that happen every day.
Common causes of failure include:
- Oil separation – oil rises to the top and separates from the product.
- Bake-out – filling leaks/ melts in the oven.
- Sandy texture – texture is gritty.
- Fat bloom – a pale dusty coating appears.
- Short shelf life – off smell, stale taste, mould.
These issues can be frustrating and if multiple occur, can cause problems across the whole range.
Why it Doesn’t Work for Small Batches
A home baker will use a jar in a week. However, in a busy bakery pails will be used in a day and left in between.
This means the tubs will be opened and closed multiple times (50 times). The store room will be a fluctuating temperature (cold at night, warm in the afternoon). The paste will be pumped through thin nozzles with pumps and depositors. Multiple people will be handling the product.
A spread that works well on the bench may not work under these conditions. The issue isn’t with the recipe; it was just designed for a gentle process.
What Goes Wrong Inside the Tub
Most issues can be traced back to a few simple issues with the formula.
- Oil separation – nut and cocoa pastes have a high amount of liquid oil. Oil is less dense than the solid particles so will rise to the top over time.
- Coarse texture – if the product has been ground coarsely it will have a sandy texture. Coarse particles will also settle quicker causing separation.
- Fat bloom – fats can change crystal structure if they are exposed to fluctuating temperatures. This will cause a dull white coating.
- Mould – if the product has been exposed to water or has too much water in the formula, mould can form.
- Rancidity – nut oils can become rancid if they are exposed to air and light for too long. The taste becomes dull and unpleasant.
How to Avoid Failure
A good formula will have multiple small considerations.
Manufacturers will use high melting fat systems to create a fine crystal structure to keep the liquid oil in place. Particles will be milled to be finer and more uniform. Emulsifiers will be balanced to give the right flow and texture. Water will be kept to a minimum and antioxidants will be added or protective packaging used to reduce rancidity.
Below is a table showing the most common causes of failure and the likely cause. As well as the solution to avoid it in well made products. Please note that the outcome will depend on how it is stored and handled.
| Failure | Likely Cause | What Top Formulas Do |
| Oil separation | Liquid oil rising above heavy solids | Use stabilising fat systems, finer milling |
| Bake-out and leaking | Filling melts and flows at oven heat | Choose bake-stable fats and higher solids content |
| Grittiness | Coarse particles | Refine particle size and keep it consistent |
| Fat bloom | Fat crystals shifting after temperature swings | Pick fats that hold their structure across temperatures |
| Short shelf life | Oxidation or moisture | Add antioxidants, control water, use barrier packaging |
| Batch inconsistency | Loose process control | Standardise recipes, test every lot |
Look at the last row. A lot of bakery trouble comes from variation, not from a single bad product. A spread that behaves well in March and badly in April is more frustrating than one that’s mediocre all year.
The Turn: Sometimes the Formula Isn’t the Culprit
Sometimes the issue isn’t with the supplier.
I have heard bakers blame the formula for issues that have occurred due to their own storage. If the pail has been left near the oven, tub not sealed, wet spoon used, pallet left near loading door in winter and then dragged into a warm kitchen. Even a great formula will be ruined.
To be honest some issues will be due to the formula and a better product will solve the issue. However, some issues will be due to how it is handled and if the pail has been cooking next to the oven all afternoon there is nothing you can do.
There is also a compromise that isn’t often mentioned. The more you make the formula stable to prevent oil separation and bake out, the more it can affect the texture. Too much of a stable fat system can make the product feel heavy and waxy. The best formulas will strike a balance between being stable for the line but also soft for the customer.
What to Ask When Comparing
When comparing Bulk Dessert Spreads for Bakers don’t look at how it performs in a sample jar. This doesn’t prove much. Ask the following questions:
- How does it perform when baked? Can you provide examples of how it performs at my oven temperature?
- How long does it last? What storage conditions?
- Is the texture consistent between batches? Can I see batch data?
- What sizes and barrier packaging do you offer?
- Who can I contact if the batch isn’t performing well on our line?
Try it out in your own kitchen. Use your oven, depositor and store. Leave a tub open for a few days and see how it performs. The product that can survive your process is the one to go for. Brands like Choconutri can be put through this list. Ask them the same questions and see how they respond.
Conclusion
Bulk spreads fail in busy bakeries for simple reasons. Oil separates, fats change, filling leaks and the flavour is affected by moisture and air. Most of this is down to how it has been formulated and how it has been handled.
To avoid this, choose a Bulk Dessert Spreads for Bakers that has been formulated with stable fats, finely milled, water controlled and consistent batches. Try it in your own kitchen, store it correctly and ask your supplier tough questions and expect clear answers.
This way you will have a smooth product with the lid off at 4am.
