January 20/Athens, Ga./Food Weekly News -- "The quality of bread made from frozen dough is diminished, and staling rate is increased by changes that occur during freezing and storage. New cultivars of waxy wheat flour (WWF), containing higher levels of amylopectin, may help improve the quality of baked products," U.S. scientists report.

"Bread quality and staling were investigated for bread containing 0-45% WWF and 55-65% water after freezing and 90-day frozen storage. The specific volume was highest with 15% WWF substitution and 60% water in bread made from both unfrozen and frozen dough. With higher levels of WWF and lower water content, bread staling rates decreased. Bread with higher levels of WWF were darker and had greater color variation. H-1 NMR studies showed that bread with greater WWF and water had higher transverse relaxation (T-2) times (9-11 ms), but less change in T-2 during storage," wrote J. Yi and colleagues, University of Georgia.

The researchers concluded, "This research demonstrated that specific combinations of WWF and water produced a better quality of bread after dough freezing."

Yi and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Cereal Science ("Properties of Bread Made from Frozen Dough Containing Waxy Wheat Flour." Journal of Cereal Science, 2009;50(3):364-369).

For additional information, contact W.L. Kerr, University of Georgia, Dept. of Food Science & Technology, 100 Cedar St., Athens, GA 30602.

From the February 1, 2010, Prepared Foods E-dition