Effect of proving time on the quality of frozen pre-baked French style rolls elaborated with the addition of wholegrain flour and enzymes.

Proving is a step in the breadmaking process that can be crucial in determining the final characteristics of the product presented to the consumer. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of proving time on the quality of frozen pre-baked French style rolls elaborated with the addition of wholegrain flour and enzymes. With this objective, doughs from six different formulations were allowed to ferment to different stages of proving. The first stage corresponded to the stage where the dough presented the maximum point of volume development without losing its resistance to touch. The second stage was soon after the first one, being characterized by a loss of resistance to touch but without a marked loss of volume. The rolls were evaluated for their specific volume, crumb texture (firmness and springiness), oven spring, shape, cut opening and cut height. The results showed that the proving time influenced various characteristics of the pre-baked French bread. A longer proving time tended to result in greater specific volume of the rolls with greater crumb springiness, but with a less firm crumb and reduced cut opening and cut height. The oven spring and shape were not altered by the proving time. The increase in volume was the result of increases in the width and length of the rolls. This study showed that the proving time was one of the factors responsible for the collapse in the structure of the pre-baked rolls, and that an adequate formulation could overcome the loss in cut opening and cut height resulting from a longer proving time.