Effect of straight dough X pre-fermented dough method on composite wheat breads characteristics

Bread fermentation is one of the most important steps in breadmaking. In straight dough method fermentation stage is realized after dough mixing; while in pre-fermented method, part of ingredients is mixed and rested for some hours in order to pre-ferment. This second method is well known to produce breads with improved properties, however no studies related to the production of composite bread using pre-fermented dough method can be found in the literature. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify the effect of pre-fermented dough process method on a composite bread properties. Control breads (wheat bread) and green-banana-wheat bread were produced by straight and pre-fermented dough method. Breads were evaluated in relation to local water content, water loss, color parameters, specific volume, crumb porosity and texture profile analyses. Pre-fermented breads presented significantly higher specific volume in relation to straight breads. Similarly, pre-fermented method give breads with lower values of water loss, and lower levels of darkening. All of this could contributed to the better crumb texture properties of pre-fermented breads in relation to straight dough method. Therefore, it could be concluded that pre-fermentation dough method improved the technological properties of composite bread, representing an important strategy to be more explored.

Keywords:
technological properties; texture; specific volume; water loss