AIB International: Is Your Dough Showing Symptoms Of Stress?

The mechanical steps that transform flour and other ingredients into baked products, produce a dough that should go easily through the different stages of bread manufacturing. However, every dough can only take so much physical work before quality declines.

Symptoms of over stressed dough include:

  • Rough or sandy crust
  • Irregular shapes with poor pan flow
  • Wrinkled crown
  • White spots

To solve these issues, first review the water addition to ensure full absorption, then review all steps where work is applied to mix or shape the dough. Adjust the mixing time after cleanup and make final adjustments to the divider, rounder, and sheeting rollers to help improve finished dough characteristics. If there is excess moisture in the proofer, you may notice white spots along with wrinkles and a rubbery crust. If these defects are plaguing your product, we recommend reducing the relative humidity in the proofer.

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