The entrainment and evolution of gas bubbles in bread dough—A review

Abstract

Background and ObjectiveFor control of bread quality to achieve high loaf volume and uniform crumb structure, gas bubble dynamics in dough needs to be better understood throughout different breadmaking processes. The objective of this review was to establish a solid theoretical basis on how flour type, water and salt content, and mixing conditions affected the incorporation, evolution, and stabilization of gas bubbles in a dough.FindingsBubble dynamics including entrainment, disentrainment, break‐up, disproportionation, growth, and coalescence were outlined and their effects on the gas phase of the dough were assessed. The application, advantages, and disadvantages of microscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X‐ray microtomography techniques for qualitatively or quantitatively characterizing the void fraction and bubble size distribution (BSD) in the dough at various stages of the breadmaking process have been discussed.ConclusionsSince the BSD evolution in bread dough is associated with the quality of the resultant products, to devise strategies for improving the product quality, dough formulation, and mixing conditions need to be considered.Significance and NoveltyDue to the obvious challenges of monitoring the fast evolution of BSD in yeasted dough, future research needs to focus on the effects of yeast activity on dough's BSD.