A guide to making bread healthier

Research from the Food Standard Agency, the National Association of Master Bakers and Norfolk County Council  identified recipe changes that would allow the production of bread in line with the Department of Health’s 2012 salt targets. The recipes were tested in commercial craft bakers’ premises, in different locations, with different bread-making processes.

The results show that reducing salt levels to the voluntary target of 1g salt per 100g bread:
• is easily achievable
• should not affect the rest of your recipes
• is acceptable to customers

Research also showed that bakers can reduce the level of salt in bread by 25% over six weeks and customers will not notice the difference.

The calculator and quick guide below can be used by bakers to see the amount of salt in their final bread product. Bakers just need to identify how much flour and salt they use – in grams, pounds or ounces. They can then see where they are in relation to the 2012 salt target for bread – 1g of salt per 100g of final product – and see how they can make reductions towards that target.

So, if you’re a craft baker and you want to make a real difference to the health of your customers, while maintaining the quality of your bread, use the calculator or the quick guide below to calculate the levels of salt in your bread and gradually reduce them.

Click here for quick guide to reducing salt in bread. 

Click here for the salt in bread calculator.