Textural and sensory properties of wheat bread fortified with nettle ( Urtica dioica L.) produced by the scalded flour method

Abstract

The main aim of the study was to investigate the texture and sensory properties of wheat bread with nettle infusion, which was incorporated into the dough recipe in the process of wheat flour scalding. The addition of nettle, at the following concentration: 10, 20, 30, and 40 mg/ml, was introduced into the dough as an infusion in the process of scalding. The increasing addition of nettle infusion caused a decrease in baking loss and the volume of the obtained loaves, and an increase in the porosity index of the herbal crumb. Using the method with scalding flour had a positive influence on the hardness (up to 20 mg/ml) and the springiness of the bread crumb. Sensory analysis showed that the bread enriched with 10 mg/ml and 20 mg/ml of nettle infusion achieved the highest scores of overall acceptability in comparison to the control sample. Practical applications Results confirm the possibility of using the new method based on scalded flour for the production of wheat bread with the addition of nettle infusion up to 20 mg/ml level of supplementation.