Development of French Bread Using Flour Formulations with Wheat, Rice and Locally Available Legumes, and Evaluation of its Sensory and Nutritional Properties

Abstract

French bread made using different ratios of wheat, soya bean, chickpea and brown rice were evaluated for the sensory properties and nutritional profile, compared with French bread made of wheat flour. Two composite flour mixtures, 30% (10% soya bean flour, 10% brown rice flour, 10% chickpea flour) and 40% (10% soya bean flour, 10% brown rice flour, 20% chickpea flour) showed their suitability as compatible composite flour mixtures for French bread making without affecting the sensory attributes, namely, crust colour, aroma, taste, texture and overall acceptability. The French bread prepared using 40% composite flour showed significantly higher (P<0.05) contents of protein (14.80±0.02%), fat (5.39±0.01%), fibre (1.57±0.04%) and ash (2.09±0.01%) than French bread prepared using 30% composite flour which contained protein at 14.03±0.01%, fat at 4.99±0.06%, fibre at 1.35±0.01% and ash at 1.85±0.02%, and these parameters were significantly higher than the same parameters in French bread prepared using 100% wheat flour. The moisture (30.33±0.13 %) and carbohydrate (47.45%) contents of 30% composite flour substituted French bread was significantly higher (P<0.05) than those in 40% composite flour substituted French bread (Moisture 29%, carbohydrates 47%). Percentage increase of the constituents of French bread with 30% and 40% composite flour formulations were protein by 9.1% and 14.9%, fat by 105.3% and 121.8%, fibre by 55% and 80.45% and ash by 31.2% and 48.23%, respectively. The study concluded that utilization of composite flour of locally available cereals and legumes instead of 100% wheat flour in French bread making contributes to improve the nutritional profile and benefits the local bakery industry.