Milling, baking, and grain factors influencing the quality of tandyr bread (Nan) in Central Asia report on a study conducted in four countries of Central Asia

Abstract

During the time of the Soviet Union, the inhabitants of the Central Asian Republics consumed mainly dense, pan-type bread that was mass-produced in large baking plants. However, after CA countries achieved independence, the production of tandyr bread (baked on the walls of concave, clay ovens) rapidly regained popularity throughout the region, to become the main bread type that is consumed today in small cities, and the only type consumed in small villages of the rural areas. Tandyr bread making requires certain grain quality attributes, which seem to be inferior in the winter wheat varieties currently cultivated in CA. Wheat quality for tandyr bread making is not well defined, and therefore it is necessary to determine which wheat quality factors need to be improved through breeding. This document reports on findings obtained from a survey of the milling and baking industries throughout four countries of Central Asia.