J. Rasanen et al., FREEZE-THAW STABILITY OF PREFERMENTED FROZEN LEAN WHEAT DOUGHS - EFFECT OF FLOUR QUALITY AND FERMENTATION TIME, Cereal chemistry, 72(6), 1995, pp. 637-642
The effects of fermentation time and flour quality on the baking quali
ty of prefermented frozen wheat doughs were studied. The doughs were b
aked from six different flours and fermented optimally (40 min) and le
ss than optimally (25 min) before freezing. After frozen storage (1-14
days), the baking quality was evaluated and the structure of the doug
hs was studied by microscopic and theological methods. Fermentation ti
me had a dramatic effect on the freezing and thawing stability of the
doughs. With one-day storage, the loaf volumes were, on average, 20% g
reater after shorter than after longer fermentation time. Moreover, wi
th interrupted fermentation the change in loaf volume due to freezing
was almost independent of flour quality. Microstructural and theologic
al studies showed that the reason for these improvements was a thicker
gluten network and greater amount of small gas bubbles. However, the
interrupted fermentation did not reduce the deterioration of loaf volu
mes during longer storage times. The most significant decrease (11% of
the fresh volume) occurred during the first week but continued during
the second week of frozen storage (up to 15% of the fresh volume).