Cereal Chem 68:627-631   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Studies on Frozen Doughs. I. Effects of Frozen Storage and Freeze-Thaw Cycles on Baking and Rheological Properties.

Y. Inoue and W. Bushuk. Copyright 1991 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The effects of frozen storage for one week and of freeze-thaw cycles during the storage period on rheological and baking properties of yeasted dough were studied. Two oxidant additions (ascorbic acid without and with potassium bromate) were used. A modified extensigraph procedure was used to measure the stretching properties of fermented doughs. Extensigraph resistance of thawed doughs decreased significnatly after frozen storage for one week and with an increasing number of freeze-thaw cycles. A highly significant positive correlation was obtained between loaf volume and maximum extensigraph resistance (r = 0.935-0.976, P less than 0.05), and a highly significant negative correlation was obtained between final proof time to a fixed height and maximum resistance (r = -0.969 - -0.987, P less than 0.05). A combination of ascorbic acid and potassium bromate, compared with ascorbic acid alone, strengthened the doughs and improved the baking potential of frozen dough. This result indicated that freeze damage to dough was dependent on the strength of the original dough. On the other hand, extensigraph resistance of nonyeasted doughs did not change after the first freeze-thaw cycle but decreased incrementally after the second and third cycles. Comparison of the extensigraph results for yeasted and nonyeasted doughs suggests that the gluten structure of yeasted doughs may be more vulnerable to the effect of freezing (e.g., ice crystallization) than that of nonyeasted doughs.