Since the first ever Greggs store opened in Gosforth more than 80 years ago, it has become an iconic part of the UK as well as the North East with over 2,000 stores across the country - but what exactly is it that makes the bakery chain so popular?
This was the question that presenter Grace Dent set out to answer in a new Channel 5 documentary dedicated to uncovering the Tyneside-born business' most closely-guarded secrets. Greggs: Secrets of Their Best Bakes saw Grace delve into the science behind the chain's most iconic pastry, the humble sausage roll - 12 of which are sold at every second at Greggs stores across the country, amounting to a whopping 7 million a week.
Grace enlisted the help of food scientist Dr Stuart Farrimond to find out exactly what makes a Greggs sausage roll so delicious - starting with that irresistible smell every time you walk past a store. This is caused by a chemical reaction that sees protein and sugars combine at just the right temperature.
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"The thing that makes that smell so moreish comes from a special reaction called the Maillard Reaction, and that's what happens in the oven when it's baking," Dr Stu explained.
"When it gets to above 130°C the amino acids, which are what proteins are made of, break down and collide with the little traces of sugar in everything. There's also fat within the pastry that conveys these aromatic molecules that get on the surface of the pastry and gives it the flavour - and we sense it in our nose, believe it or not."
Dr Stu also delved into the science behind flaky puff pastry. "As you're mixing the dough, it forms gluten and gives this structure - you then fold it over with layers of solid fat, often butter, and layer it again - you've then got layers of gluten-rich dough and fat," he explained.
"Then as it bakes, the water turns to steam which pushes the layers apart and puffs it up." Grace was then invited up to Newcastle for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Greggs HQ, where the experts gave away some insights into the precise methods that help make the bakes so tasty.
When it comes to the sausage roll the delicious flaky puff pastry is put together with 96 individual layers - no more, no less. "If there were 99 layers, would it feel a little bit heavier?" Grace joked.
Supply chain quality manager Errol Eland explained: "I think you would actually see the difference, because you would start to see some bakes opening up at the side or cracking on the top as well." However, Grace didn't manage to uncover all the secrets behind the sausage roll - and there's one key ingredient of the bake that is so top secret that even the people making them don't know exactly what it is.
Process operations manager Sukina Coyle revealed the signature seasoning that goes into the bakery's iconic sausage rolls is kept tightly under wraps - to the extent that staff members responsible for putting the sausage rolls together in the Greggs factory aren't told what the seasoning package contains. "There's no specifics on the bag, so even people downstairs [in the factory] wouldn't know how to re-create that," she said, joking that the seasoning was made from magic dust.
"The more questions I ask, the more questions I have - it's just an enigma within a mystery!" Grace quipped. Greggs: Secrets Of Their Best Bakes is available to watch on My5 now, with more episodes on the way.
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