Leavening performance is vitally important for producing flavorful donuts, according to the research and development technical team at Lesaffre’s baking centers. Donut volume, crumb structure and flavor are all impacted by the leavening, both chemical leavening and yeast fermentation.
In addition, dough and batter temperatures and fry oil temperature will impact fat absorption, donut shape, volume and crust color, according to Lesaffre. All of these factors play influential roles in the success of your donut program.
For those seeking new donut ideas, Lesaffre points out that yeast raised sourdough donuts can be made using Livendo F100 wheat sour and Livendo S400 rye sour. Such innovations help keep retail bakery customers craving more.
Yeast recommendations from Lesaffre include Red Star fresh yeast, and Saf Instant Gold and Saf Instant Red are dry yeast options. Available in block, crumbled and cream form, Lesaffre fresh yeasts are derived from a pure culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is grown under carefully controlled conditions to ensure optimum consistency, stability, and activity in baking processes.
Dough conditioning options include the following:
- Encore Plus 6340 allows bakers to remove sodium stearoyl lactylate and improve dough handling, donut volume and improved texture
- Saf Pro Volume 3.1 will improve yeast dough tolerance in fresh and frozen dough. It will also improve donut volume
- Saf Pro Relax 100 will improve the dough sheetability, which results in shape uniformity
- For antistaling, AST 300 and AST 350 reduce the staling rate of both cake and yeast raised donuts, according to the R&D technical team at Lesaffre’s baking centers
Answering the call
Dunkin’ is expanding its delivery options to include Uber Eats, according to the company. With this new partnership, Dunkin’ is now available for delivery through Uber Eats at more than 1,700 restaurants, with more than 4,000 total locations nationwide to offer the service by the end of May.
Dunkin’ delivery with Uber Eats is available at select stores across eight states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina. With Uber Eats, guests can have their Dunkin’ favorites delivered directly to them quickly and reliably. To place an order, customers can simply open the Uber Eats website or mobile app, select their nearest Dunkin’ location, choose their food and beverages, customize them just the way they like, and then check out.
Guests can also track their order as it is prepared, picked up and delivered by their Uber driver, who will leave the items at their door for a contactless experience.
“We’re excited to partner with Uber Eats to give even more guests a convenient way to enjoy their favorite Dunkin’ food and beverages, whenever and however they want them, even when staying at home,” says Brandy Blackwell, director of new business, delivery and catering, for Dunkin’ U.S. “We understand that many of our guests are missing their daily Dunkin’ routine, and we want them to know we’ve got their backs by continuing to expand our Dunkin’ delivery footprint with Uber Eats in the coming weeks.”
Most Dunkin’ stores across the country remain open and have enhanced preventative health and safety measures in place during the COVID-19 crisis. In an ongoing effort to help keep its guests and restaurant employees safe, Dunkin’ is currently limiting service to drive-thru, carry-out and curbside pick-up at select locations, in addition to delivery at participating locations with Uber Eats, Grubhub and other providers. Guests can order and pay contactless on the Dunkin’ App for a quick, grab-and-go experience.
Navigating murky waters
For Tim Hortons in the first quarter of 2020, the decrease in system-wide sales growth was primarily driven by comparable sales of 10.3%, including Canada comparable sales of 10.8%, partially offset by net restaurant growth of 1.2%. The global spread of COVID-19 in March had a significant impact on sales performance in the quarter. In the last two weeks of March there was a daily comparable sales decrease on average by a percentage in the mid-forties, however daily comparable sales are now down in the negative high thirties on a percentage basis.
At Tim Hortons in Canada, the company announced they partnered with its restaurant owners across the country to establish a $40 million CAD employee support fund to continue paying team members affected by COVID-19 for up to 14 days so that they could stay home without worrying about providing for themselves or their families.
Tim Hortons is also introducing enhanced mobile pick up functionality on its app and will soon launch safe operational procedures for curbside takeout or front door takeout.
With this new feature, team members will walk orders out to guests directly.
