Tell me more ×
Seasoned Advice is a question and answer site for professional and amateur chefs. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite

I was eating at a sub making restaurant the other day and they asked if I would like my flatbread toasted... I responded with a "No thanks."

The Chef said, "Well technically the flatbread still HAS to be toasted, so would you like the meat toasted ?"

In confusion, I asked, "Why? I would prefer it un-toasted."

The Chef said, "We are required to toast all flatbread, as it releases some chemical... or something."

Can anyone clear up what he may be referring to? Does flatbread (non-homemade) HAVE to be toasted / cooked / microwaved ?

Edit:

Ingredients: Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid, malted barley flour), water, soybean oil, yeast, contains 2% or less of nonfat dry milk, salt, wheat gluten, sugar, dough conditioner (acacia gum, guar gum, ascorbic acid, L- cysteine, enzymes), calcium propionate, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), and sodium stearoyl lactylate.

share|improve this question
This isn't really answerable without knowing what's in the flatbread, which would be greatly aided if you hadn't redacted (and put in italics, no less) information from your question. Of course, the bread is already baked, so... – derobert Apr 16 '12 at 15:16
Do you expect all non-home breadmakers all over the world to use the same recipe for all flatbreads? Especially one which results in a product which, if used like many people would (eaten without special preparation) is harmful? It makes no sense. Maybe there is something special about the brand of flatbread they use, but we can't say anything without more info on the brand. – rumtscho♦ Apr 16 '12 at 15:18
2  
Good Gravy people, how many sub making restaurants are there and how unsubtle does the OP have to be before you catch on? – ElendilTheTall Apr 16 '12 at 17:39
@ElendilTheTall, remember some of our contributors, and even moderators, don't live in North America, and I don't know how "global" some sub making restaurants are. On the other hand perhaps some caves in Virginia have the same internet provider as the caves in Afghanistan. For my part I question the use of the term Chef in this context. – Cos Callis Apr 17 '12 at 5:12
2  
@ElendilTheTall well, I of course guess that he means Subway, but there are at least five major sub chains around here: Subway, Blimpie, Jerry's, Quiznos, Potbelly. Mainly, I object to this silly style of question writing; there is no reason to redact the name, and it just makes answering and later searching for the question harder. – derobert Apr 17 '12 at 14:40
show 4 more comments

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

If we're talking about the same sub making restaurant, their flatbread contains the following ingredients:

Enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, malted barley flour, ascorbic acid), water, soybean oil, yeast; contains 2% or less of: nonfat dry milk, wheat gluten, salt, dough conditioners (guar gum, Arabic gum, sodium stearoyl lactylate, enzymes), sugar, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), calcium propionate.

I can see nothing in there that isn't in found in commercial soft white bread. It may well be a case of an overzealous legal department acting on the merest possibility of a hint of an idea that one ingredient may perhaps have the potential to maybe sometimes cause a problem if not cooked.

share|improve this answer
I believe we are speaking of the same place. Thank you for your answer! – Zero Stack Apr 16 '12 at 15:36
up vote 6 down vote

Most likely the flatbread is not very pliable when cold. I believe that Subway forces the heating of the flatbread to keep it from splitting when they fold it.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.