THE EFFECT OF WATER HARDNESS ON RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF DOUGH

Flour and water are basic components in dough formation process. The water quality affects the whole breadmaking process and the quality and retention period of bakery products. In bakery, an important role is played by the hardness of water; are preferred water having a hardness by 5 10o D (German degrees) and, in some cases, are preferred the waters with 10 – 20o D, depending on the characteristics of gluten. For the experimental determination, presented in this paper, were used samples of FA 650 flour type (white flour) and four kinds of water with different hardness values. To determine the dough rheological characteristics were made measurements according to AACC 54-21 standard method, using the Brabender Farinograph-E model (300 g mixer capacity). The paper presents the study of rheological characteristics variation of wheat flour dough, depending on the water hardness used in mixing and formation process.