Bubbles in bread - the potential role of the aqueous phase of doughs in determining crumb structure

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The crumb structure of baked bread is an important quality attribute, but the mechanisms underlying its development are poorly understood. More than 70% of the final volume of a loaf is comprised of gas, contained within a network of bubbles. Thin films lining the gas cells may play a role in stabilising the foam structure of a risen dough and hence determine the bubble network (and hence the crumb structure) of a baked loaf. The composition and surface properties of dough liquor, an isolated fraction thought to be representative of the aqueous phase of doughs, have been investigated together with the effect of commonly used baking ingredients including emulsifiers, such as DATEM. Surface active proteins present in dough liquor, which may promote the stability of the bubbles, have been investigated using proteomic methods. Whilst dough liquor is a complex mixture of soluble wheat proteins, with a notable absence of prolamin storage proteins and surface active proteins such as puroindoline, it appears that members of the α-amylase inhibitor family are particularly abundant in foamed dough liquor. Such increased understanding will, for example, allow novel baking quality attributes to be identified in wheat varieties.