Baking performances of sprouted wheat flour

Sprouting is an ancient method associated with improvements of the nutritional and sensory properties of cereals and pulses. Severe and uncontrolled grain sprouting induces high accumulation of enzymatic activities that negatively affect dough rheology and baking performance. Using of sprouted grains for baking, thus, has been restricted until now. The present work addressed the effects of sprouting – which was carried out in controlled conditions (temperature and humidity) - on wheat dough rheological properties and baking performance. Adding flour from sprouted wheat (from 15 to 100%) significantly decreased the dough water absorption, development time and stability during mixing, while the degree of softness increased, suggesting gluten weakening. Interestingly, 50% sprouted wheat enrichment enhanced the leaving properties of dough with respect to dough development and gas production, and the overall baking performance. Indeed bread containing 50% sprouted wheat showed a higher volume and a softer crumb compared to the control bread, even after three days of storage. In addition, presence of sprouted wheat at high percentage (50%) improved bread flavor.