California Dried Plum Board
Technical Bulletin
July 2005

DRIED PLUMS EXTEND THE SHELF LIFE
OF FOODSERVICEBREAKFAST BAKED GOODSSITUATION
Breakfast served away from home continues to grow as family style and quick service
restaurants, hotels and most institutions focus on the breakfast menu and the breakfast
daypart for expansion.
Breakfast has never been an easy meal to prepare and serve out of a commercial kitchen.
Unpredictable staffing, surges in patron traffic, consumer demand for additional menu
items and a general consumer impatience while waiting for breakfast to be served allcontribute to some anxiety at the meal.
With quick service restaurants adding breakfast along with the addition of buffets,
breakfast bars and self-service breakfasts in hotels and family style restaurants comesthe additional problem of maintaining food quality under extended periods of holding
time and high temperature. This is most true with moisture retention and even moreevident in the moisture content and texture of breakfast baked goods.
Breakfast baked goods often stale even under ideal conditions. When the pressures of aquick service restaurant concept are considered, moisture retention becomes potentiallyeven more difficult to control.
In addition, many quick service chains maintain strict policies on the length of time
prepared foods can be held which is often measured in minutes. Incorrectly anticipating
the number of patrons to be served during a 30 minute window can either result in too few
products being available to be served or too much which leads to disposal and increasedfood costs.
The natural humectant properties of dried plums can directly help foodservice operators
maintain the moisture and texture of breakfast baked goods, reduce waste, lower foodcosts and create a more satisfied customer.

DRIED PLUMS NATURAL HUMECTANCY
Dried plum purees, powders and juice concentrates provide a natural solution tomaintaining moisture in baked goods, particularly breakfast baked goods. Dried plumpowders can be easily incorporated into dry bakery mix systems using a simple all
purpose formula with endless possibilities for creative customization.
Dried plum products derive their humectant properties from three principal sources:
Fiber: About 7.5% fiber, half of which is soluble.
Sorbitol: About 15% naturally occurring sorbitol.
Reducing sugars: Fructose and glucose work with sorbitol to provide furtherhumectancy.
Dried plum's fiber attracts moisture during mixing while sorbitol retains moisture during
baking and while baked goods are being held prior to serving.

CALIFORNIA ALL PURPOSE BAKING MIX
Enhanced moisture in breakfast baked goods can start with the preparation of an allpurpose baking mix. Or, bakers can simply add about 2-3% dried plum powder toexisting breakfast bakery recipes.
CALIFORNIA ALL PURPOSE BAKING MIX

IngredientAll-purpose flour
Dried Plum PowderDextrose
Buttermilk powder
Vegetable shortening
Baking soda
Sodium aluminum phosphate
Monocalcium phosphate--anhydrous
Salt
Natural butter flavor--heat stable% ofDry Mix
81.7
2.6
0.5
3.3
6.5
1.5
1.1
0.8
1.9
0.1

This all-purpose mix can be used to make breakfast biscuits, pancakes, coffee
cakes…just about any breakfast pastry item. These breakfast baked goods stay fresher

longer due to the unique natural water binding properties of dried plums' fiber andsorbitol. Better still, breakfast baked goods made with dried plums are low-fat.

RECIPESBreakfast Biscuits
Ingredient
California All Purpose Baking Mix
Skim MilkAmount
2 C (286 g)
3/4 C (180 g)

Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Pre-heat oven to 450° F (232° C)
Stir ingredients until soft dough forms.
Turn out onto floured surface and knead 10-15 times.
Roll out to 5/8-3/4inches (1.6-1.9 cm) thick and cut out biscuits with 2 1/2 inch(6.35cm) cutter.
Place on ungreased sheet pan and bake for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown

Biscuits: Approximately 9

Breakfast Coffee Cake
Ingredient
California All Purpose Baking Mix
Skim Milk
Sugar
Margarine (melted)
Eggs

Amount1 3/4 C (250 g)
3/4 C (179 g)
1/4 C (54 g)
1 T (13 g)
1 (45 g)Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.

Pre-heat oven to 375° F (190 ° C)
Mix all ingredients well (will have small lumps) and spread into greased, 9 inch
(22.9 cm) round baking pan.
Sprinkle on streusel topping.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Servings: 10Streusel Topping:
Ingredient

AmountBrown Sugar
Cinnamon
Dried Plum Puree

1/3 C packed (75 g)
1/2 tsp (1.35 g)
1 rounded tsp (10 g)

Procedure1.

Mix streusel topping until it crumbles.

Breakfast Pancakes
Ingredient

AmountCalifornia All Purpose Baking Mix
Skim MilkEggs

2 C (286 g)
2 C (477 g)
2 (90 g)Procedure
1.
2.

Mix all ingredients until blended (will have small lumps).
Pour by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle. Cook just until edges begin to dry. Turnand cook until golden grown.

Servings: 16 pancakes.

For additional information contact:

California Dried Plum Board
1-800-729-5992
www.CaliforniaDriedPlums.org