A new New York state bill would ban the use of an ingredient used by most bread bakers in the state, including the makers of New York City's iconic bagels and pizza. The bill passed the state's Assembly and Senate by a possibly veto-proof majority, and now awaits Governor Hochul's signature to become law.
Potassium bromate is a flour additive that about 80-90% of New York commercial bakers use to make their dough springier, fluffier, chewier, more consistent, and easier to bake. But it has been listed as possibly carcinogenic. Mikaela Conley wrote in U.S Right to Know:
[Potassium bromate] has been linked to various cancers, along with thyroid disease, kidney damage, gut irritation and reproductive abnormalities. In 1999, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), categorized potassium bromate as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."
Potassium bromate has been banned in Europe since 1990, and is also banned in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, China, and many other countries. It will be banned in California starting in 2027.
Some New York pizzerias, bagel shops, and bakeries have been complaining about the pending legislation, saying that their products will not only become worse, but also more expensive. Yet, the additive has been banned in Europe for more than 35 years, and there's no doubt that in general European bread is far superior, and cheaper, than American bread.
The bread in Europe is also easier to digest than U.S. bread, with many people with gluten sensitivities in the States able to eat bread with no problem in Europe, and the lack of potassium bromate there may be a contributing factor.
A few days ago, I spoke to Jared Schulefand and Robert Marcarelli, who recently purchased the popular Olde World Apizza in North Haven, Connecticut, and as part of their re-opening a couple of weeks ago replaced the restaurant's flour with unbleached, unbromated flour. They said they wanted to use unbromated flour for their customers' sake, but were also sure a ban would eventually make its way to Connecticut, and wanted to be ahead of it.
I asked them how hard it was to switch the traditional Olde World pizza from bromated flour to unbromated without sacrificing flavor. Robert said:
It wasn't that difficult. It just took several batches of dough, and basically we tried three or four different types of flour. We started with our basic recipe and saw how that reacted in our oven. And then with sauce, with cheese, with extra toppings, to see how the rise came and everything else. It was just basically making a couple of hundred pounds of dough and throwing it in the oven and seeing how they react, how they taste. It was about a two-week process.
Jared and Robert said they are very happy with the product and so are their customers. This customer definitely was: the pizza was outstanding, and their thin crust had a great flavor, with that magical combination of crispy and chewy textures.
