Prediction of mechanical dough development, water absorption and baking performance from farinograph parameters

Two systems for measuring flour water absorption (WA), the farinograph (FAR) and the Wheat Research Institute, 125 g mechanical dough development (MDD) standard bake test system, were compared using a representative sample of 20 commercial flours. A highly significant correlation (r = 0.93) was found which yielded the predictive equation: WAMDD = 0.66 × WAFAR + 181 The 95% prediction limits for 125 g MDD water absorptions from this equation were ± 15 g kg−1. This degree of accuracy was largely due to excellent farinograph reproducibility. Other farinograph parameters (development time, stability and breakdown) were highly correlated with the work input required for 125 g mechanical dough development, but only development time was significantly correlated with the volume of loaves baked on the 125 g standard bake system. This lack of prediction of baking quality for the farinograph could partly be because it simulates bulk fermentation mixing, rather than the more intensive mixing of the mechanical dough development process used for the loaves in this experiment. However, the loaf volume range was diminished since sample preparation involved bulking flours by water absorption.