by Giuseppe Catapano and Roberto Frank

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY — Walking through Montevideo or a smaller town in Uruguay, one thing stands out: many people carry a mate cup in their hands. The green tea is the country’s No. 1 national drink, with the highest per capita consumption worldwide. It’s enjoyed in the morning to wake up, throughout the day to relax, and in the evening with friends. A frequent companion to this drink is Uruguay’s national bread, pan marsellés — a roll dusted with corn meal.

For Uruguay’s 3.4 million inhabitants, bread is more than a basic food. Much like mate, it’s a vital part of the country’s culture. It’s consumed in many forms and on various occasions. Foreign influences are common, as Uruguay’s welcoming attitude toward immigrants has made it a cultural melting pot. However, anyone assuming that pan marsellés is linked to the French port city of Marseille would be mistaken. This elongated, folded-in-the-middle bread exists only in Uruguay. 

Pan flauta, on the other hand, is a different story. With its crispy, golden-brown crust, this wheat bread — about 50 cm in length — resembles a French baguette but still differs significantly. Its crumb is denser and more tender, and its flavor is mildly aromatic with less sourness. It is consumed almost daily — with butter for breakfast, in local-style sandwiches, or alongside the main meal. Just as bread holds a special place in Uruguayan culture, its production involves a unique set of challenges that local bakers skillfully navigate.

Freshly baked pan flauta

Traditionally, pan flauta dough consists of high-extraction wheat flour (in Uruguay, type 000), water, salt and yeast. Unlike the French baguette, it often contains lard or oil, making the crumb firm yet soft and extending the bread’s freshness. This addition, typically 2% to 3% of the flour weight, is key. Consumers also appreciate a well-browned crust, which some recipes enhance with a teaspoon of sugar or malt extract.

The dough usually is kneaded for 8 to 12 minutes. Compared to baguette production, rest times between processing steps are shorter. This makes daily fresh production ideal, especially for the many small family-run and local bakeries that dominate the Uruguayan market. A few large producers also manufacture pan flauta on an industrial scale.

“Like almost everywhere in the world, modern bakeries in Uruguay rely on flour improvement and standardized flour,” said Giuseppe Catapano, area sales manager, MC. 

A sales expert responsible for the South American market at Mühlenchemie (MC) for many years, he supports millers throughout the region. Working closely with him is Roberto Frank, a long-standing sales network partner with strong ties to local customers. Both know targeted flour optimization using enzyme systems benefits both bakeries and the milling industry.

Mill serves as bakery’s partner

Mills offering enzyme-optimized flour blends tailored specifically for pan flauta production are more likely to earn long-term customer loyalty. These solutions help bakeries produce more efficiently and reduce manufacturing costs. At the same time, bakers can offer consistently high product quality that appeals to consumers. For millers, this creates an opportunity to increase sales volumes, often at good prices.

“Furthermore, targeted flour treatment enables mills to balance out fluctuating grain quality and compensate for weak harvest years,” said Frank, president of von Atime, an MC sales network partner.

Frank said Uruguay grows its own wheat.

“Due to rather extensive farming, the protein content is often high, which is good,” he said. “However, yields can sometimes be lower. Overall, the annual harvest usually meets domestic demand.”

Overcoming challenges 

Close ties to the market give these experts deep insight into the challenges of pan flauta production. Unlike French baguette dough, the Uruguayan version is designed for fast processing. The short fermentation time can be tricky, especially when baking in larger volumes. The dough often has high tension, making shaping more difficult and increasing the risk of tearing during mechanical handling. Uruguay’s often humid, warm climate also complicates processing by making the dough softer and stickier.

Additionally, fast processing leaves little time for fermentation. This can lead to dense, compact bread, especially when the flour has only moderate gluten quality. Without technical aids, the dough lacks oven spring, structure, and an appealing crumb.

Meeting texture expectations — crispy on the outside, soft on the inside — is a challenge. Over- or underdeveloped dough, incorrect baking time, high humidity, and seasonal temperature fluctuations all affect crust and crumb. Pan flauta often loses moisture quickly, dries out, or suffers microbial changes. That’s why it should be sold or processed fresh each day.

Enzyme systems for optimal results

Tailored enzyme solutions help effectively address quality issues in pan flauta production. Catapano pointed out another benefit for mills and customers.

“As natural biocatalysts, enzymes do not require labeling,” he said. “Like elsewhere, consumers in Uruguay increasingly want to know what’s in their food. Slowly but steadily, clean label bread is gaining traction — and we can offer comprehensive support.”

The most widely used enzymes in pan flauta flour are amylases, xylanases and lipases. Based on flour analysis, enzyme preparations are carefully adjusted to match the flour quality, as enzyme synergy is crucial for optimal baking results. For example, the right combination of amylase and xylanase improves fermentation and dough stability. Alphamalt EFX Range (Lipase) and Alphamalt Gloxy Range (glucose oxidase), in turn, strengthen the gluten network. The result: greater tolerance during fermentation, better shape retention, cleaner cuts, and uniform oven rise.

Ultimately, price and freshness are top purchase criteria for consumers in Uruguay. Equally important is consistent product quality for pan flauta. Often, only minor recipe tweaks are needed. The following overview links common production issues with suggested solutions:

Problem: Low bread volume 

Possible causes: Fermentation time too short; too little yeast; unsuitable flour with too little enzymatic activity. 

Solutions: Prolong the fermentation time of the dough; use more yeast; use suitable flour; increase or adjust flour treatment (Alphamalt VC 5000, Alphamalt Baguette Volume).

Problem: Inadequate shred/bloom

Possible causes: Fermentation time too long; dough temperature too high; flour too weak; too little enzyme activity.

Solutions: Shorten the fermentation time; use cold water; use more steam in the oven; increase humidity in the fermentation chamber; use more oxidizing agent (Elco C-100); add more enzyme improvers (Alphamalt EFX Pro, Alphamalt H 24511 or Omnizym Baguette).

Problem: Dark crust, soft crumb 

Possible causes: Natural enzymatic activity too high; oven too hot; baking time too long.

Solutions: Use wheat flour with lower enzymatic activity (high falling number); add less alpha-amylase (Alphamalt VC 5000) to the flour; set the oven to a lower temperature; shorten the baking time. 

Problem: Holes in the crumb 

Possible causes: Flour too weak; doughs too warm; fermentation chamber too warm; too much yeast; mixing and resting times too long.

Solutions: Use stronger flour; use cold water; set a lower temperature in the fermentation chamber; use less yeast, shorten processing times; adjust flour treatment (use Mulgaprime 90 F, Alphamalt Gloxy TGO, Alphamalt EFX Mega or Alphamalt Baguette Boost).

Problem: Not enough crispiness

Possible causes: Dough too firm; flour too weak; baking temperature too low; doughs too dry and bucky; too little enzymatic activity. 

Solutions: Use stronger flour; set the oven to a higher temperature; increase the amount of liquid in the recipe; adjust the enzymatic activity (Increase the flour treatment (Alphamalt GA 23750, Deltamalt FN-A 50, Mulgaprime 90 F).

Problem: Pale, white crust 

Possible causes: Fermentation chamber too dry; fermentation time too long; oven temperature too low; baking time too short; too little enzymatic activity.

Solutions: Increase humidity in the fermentation chamber; reduce the fermentation time; set the oven to a higher temperature; prolong the baking time; add more alpha-amylase to the flour (Alphamalt GA 23750, Deltamalt FN-A 50).

Problem: Blistered crust 

Possible causes: Flour too weak; incorrect machine setting; fermentation time too long; doughs too soft; fermentation chamber too warm. 

Solutions: Use stronger flour; increase the pressure of the dough moulding machine; shorten the fermentation time; reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe; reduce the temperature in the fermentation chamber.

To learn more about Mühlenchemie, contact the company at info@muehlenchemie.com.