Relationship between physical properties of dough and expansion ability during bread-making

Abstract

We investigated whether the physical properties (rheological properties) of various bread doughs, obtained from a linear Kelvin four-element model of visco-elasticity, could be used to express the expansion ability of the dough during bread-making. The physical properties τ0 and τ1 (relaxation and retardation time, respectively) were determined from the creep. The stress relaxation curves derived from the TO values of various doughs, such as Victoria INTA (extra strong flour), Camellia (strong flour), and Hokushin (semi-strong flour), approximated the experimental results well. By analyzing the relationship between each coefficient in this model and the expansion ability of bread dough (specific loaf volume and gas retention), it was proven that τ0 and τ1 were positively and negatively correlated, respectively, to the expansion of bread dough to a statistically significant extent. From these results, it was suggested that dough with more elastic properties shows greater expansion. It is known experientially that adequate dough elasticity is necessary for good expansion, and the results of this study support the previous data.