Stabilizing highly hydrated wheat flour doughs by adding water in two steps

Abstract

A major problem in industrial processing of highly hydrated wheat doughs is the stability of the dough over time. Phase separation occurs during storage with a detrimental effect on the viscoelastic properties of the dough. We developed an original production process in which water addition and mixing were done in two steps. The stability of doughs in which water was added in either one step (1S) or two steps (2S) was compared with water contents ranging from 55 to 80% (wb). The 2S process resulted in a significant slowdown of the sedimentation kinetics, hence a higher stability, in doughs with 55 and 70 wt% water. The microstructure and viscoelastic properties of doughs were analyzed by confocal microscopy and rheology.Protein microstructure helped stabilize the dough. The formation of a gluten network during the first step of the 2S process with only 50 wt% of water is a crucial point.