Chorleywood Bread Process

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The Chorleywood Bread Process, or CBP, was developed in 1961 by the Flour Milling and Baking Research Association at Chorleywood and is now used to make 80% of the world’s bread. CBP uses low protein wheats combined with chemical improvers and intense mechanical working of the dough using high-speed mixers. The process substantially reduces the long fermentation period by introducing high energy mixing for just a few minutes, dramatically reducing the time taken to produce a loaf. The CBP method of making bread cannot be reproduced in a normal kitchen because of the requirement for a high-speed mixer.

The process had an important impact in the UK, where it was developed, as the process also permitted a much greater proportion of home grown low protein wheat to be used in the grist.

The process was strongly criticised by Felicity Lawrence in her book "Not on the Label: What Really Goes Into the Food on Your Plate" on the grounds that it required an increased amount of salt and yeast, compared to traditional processes. Her argument is that the primary benefit of the process is economic and industrial, not health based.

• The Federation of Bakers
• Lawrence, Felicity, Not on the Label: What Really Goes Into the Food on Your Plate,2004