Less nitrogen, the same bread quality: what buttons can we push?

More Dutch baking wheat in the bread aisle: that is the ambition. At the same time, the sector faces the challenge of delivering the same reliable baking quality with less nitrogen. This requires smart choices throughout the entire chain. Agronomic researcher Erik Reijnierse and grader Marc de Wit show which levers the sector can use. When the bread comes out of the oven, the difference is immediately visible. One loaf is high and airy: the familiar Dutch sandwich bread. The other remains low and firm. Same recipe, same baking process. One difference: the wheat. Or more precisely: the protein content in the flour. “The protein content and composition determine the quality of the bread,” says agronomist Erik Reijnierse from WUR Open Cultivation. “From trials with nitrogen levels of 0, 160, 200, and 240 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare, we see the pattern recurring: the more nitrogen, the higher the yield and protein content. Less nitrogen can make cultivation more sustainable, but ...