Cereal Chem 67:107-111   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Use of a Kramer Shear Cell to Measure Cracker Dough Properties.

D. W. Creighton and R. C. Hoseney. Copyright 1990 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

A method was developed to measure the physical properties of cracker doughs using a Kramer shear cell on an Instron universal testing machine. Peak force appears to measure dough stiffness and shoulder force appearss to be a function of elasticity or dough development. Doughs from flours that varied in cracker- baking quality had different absolute force values and values that varied with increased fermentation time. With a flour giving crackers with low stack height and weight, shoulder force values initially increased, then decreased with greater sponge fermentation times. With flours giving high stack height and weight, shoulder force value continued to increase during fermentation. These results support previous findings suggesting the importance of proteolytic activity during sponge fermentation, which results in decreased strength of the sponge.