BREAD VOLUME POTENTIAL OF VARIABLE-QUALITY FLOURS WITH CONSTANT PROTEIN LEVEL AS DETERMINED BY FACTORS GOVERNING MIXING TIME AND BAKING ABSORPTION LEVELS

Six European wheat flours with varying breadmaking potentials (Apollo, Slejpner, Sperber, Camp Remy, Minaret, and Soissons; Glu-1 scores 4, 4, 7, 6, 9, and 10, respectively) and pentosan levels were brought to constant protein level with starch. Breads were baked in a straight-do ugh procedure with varying mixing times (MT) and baking absorption lev els (BA). Response surface methodology showed that, among all realisti c combinations of interdependent variables MT and BA, there is no opti mum combination resulting in a superior bread loaf. Bread volumes incr eased with longer MT and higher BA levels, handling properties of the resulting doughs being the limiting factor. When flours of different c ultivars, adjusted to a constant protein level, were baked with the sa me MT and BA (provided this resulted in a manageable dough), they yiel ded breads of essentially equal volume. The baking performance was thu s determined by the MT and BA applied, and differences in breadmaking potential of such flours must be attributed to a great extent to facto rs governing the mixing and absorption level characteristics of the fl our. Analysis of pentosan contents indicated that higher water-soluble pentosan levels resulted in lower BA levels and mixing tolerance (and thus lower bread volumes), and that an inverse relationship exists be tween the handling properties of a dough and the flour water-soluble p entosan content. At the same time, the Glu-1 score was in good agreeme nt with the volume potentials and the MT of the different flours.