Role of flour and dough physicochemical properties in determining quinoa gluten-free bread quality

This study investigated the relationships linking quinoa flour properties with the dough behavior and the physical and structural qualities of the final bread. Eight different quinoa flours were characterized and used to produce gluten-free (GF) breads under a fixed formulation and controlled process, allowing for a systematic comparison of quinoa-driven flour variability in GF baking. Substantial variability was observed from starch thermal properties and swelling power (SP) to dough rheology and bread structure. SP emerged as a key functional parameter that strongly influenced dough viscoelasticity during proofing. Specific volume (1.35–1.62 mL/g), crumb porosity (22.6–33.6 %), and texture (hardness: 4.7–26.6 N; cohesiveness: 0.49–0.81), key determinants of bread quality were associated with moderate complex viscosity during proofing, which corresponds to low to moderate SP levels, revealing a narrow viscoelastic window required to balance gas cell expansion and dough stability. Proofing kinetics, associated to the dough volume gain and accurately described by a modified Gompertz model (R 2 = 0.952; RMSE = 0.045), confirmed that dough behavior during proofing is the primary determinant of bread structure, while baking consolidates the network through starch gelatinization. Hardness increased with storage and remained strongly correlated with fresh bread texture and SP.