Miller Magazine Issue: 152 August 2022

80 ARTICLE MILLER / AUGUST 2022 kg of dough (991 kg of flour) • 6,500 loaves made from 68% flour requires 1,625 kg of dough (964 kg of flour) • That’s a savings of 27 kg of flour Over time, this presents a significant financial im- pact on companies that produce large quantities of bread per hour. The second effect can be more problematic. Damaged starch may absorb more water, but it does not retain it nearly as well. In fact, damaged starch is very hygroscopic and absorbs water quickly. This explains its impact on water absorp- tion potential. However, during the mixing phase, the gran- ules tend to release water again. At first, the freed water will be soaked up by the protein, a significant component in the dough, to complete its hydration. But if water continues to escape from the damaged starch granules once the protein is fully hydrated, it will separate from the dough and cause stickiness. This means there is an optimal balance to be found between the benefits of a higher hydration potential and a manufacturers’ need to avoid stick- iness in their production line. The third effect takes place during fermentation. It is easier for amylase to break down a damaged starch granule. This results in higher sugar produc- tion, which leads to additional phenomena: •The activation of carbon dioxide gas production. This causes the dough to rise, which will increase the volume of the bread as long as the protein network is able to retain the gas. Excessive gas production can create too much pressure, making the dough porous and unstable. •When the yeast cannot use all of the sugar pro- duced, the sugar stays in the dough and is more like- ly to contribute to caramelization after baking (known as the Maillard reaction) possibly leading to exces- sive browning of the bread’s crust during baking. A fourth effect occurs in the oven. The carbon dioxide gas production phenomenon is amplified in the oven, where the heat causes the gas to ex- Figure 3. Approximations of ideal levels of damaged starch (UCD) to produce common baked products.²