USE OF ELONGATIONAL VISCOSITY TO ESTIMATE COOKIE DIAMETER

Cookie diameter is a function of spread rate and set time during bakin g. Dough viscosity appears to control cookie spread rate and, thus, wi ll affect final cookie diameter. The technique of lubricated uniaxial compression was used to measure the elongational viscosity of cookie d ough. Full-formula cookie doughs made with a commercial hard wheat flo ur had a significantly higher elongational viscosity (5.88 x 10(6) +/- 9.17 x 10(4) Pa.S) than cookie doughs made with a commercial soft whe at flour (2.17 x 10(6) +/- 1.05 x 10(4) Pa.S). Elongational viscosity correlated significantly (P < 0.05) with the diameter (r = -0.796) of cookies made with flours from various soft wheat cultivars. Using a si mplified cookie formula decreased the testing time without greatly cha nging the correlation coefficient (r = -0.738). Thus, lubricated uniax ial compression appears to be an appropriate technique to measure the viscosity of cookie doughs and may be useful for predicting the cookie baking quality of soft wheat flours.