Dough Preparation

Dough mixer

Wide range of mixers with different mixing technologies depending on dough

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Dough mixing is a process in which flour and water are mixed until gluten is developed, a result of the enhanced interaction between dispersed and hydrated gluten-forming proteins.

The goal is to incorporate air, hydrate dry ingredients, homogenize the dough by evenly distributing all the ingredients, knead the dough and develop the gluten

Dough mixing can be viewed as a simple reaction in which the reactants transform into a homogeneous and aerated dough.

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The mixed dough consists of continuous (gluten) and discontinuous or dispersed (air cells) phases. Ideally, this mechanical process creates a visco-elastic mass that has optimum dough handling properties and gas retention capacity, essential for product expansion during proofing and oven spring.

Relevance

Mixing is a crucial step in all dough systems used for the manufacture of yeast-leavened baked goods. It is critical to obtain the right rheological properties and consistency of the dough for the production process to run smoothly, as well as achieve the desired finished product quality.

• In Sponge and Dough Systems: The sponge is mixed first and then ferments. The second mix is dough mixing, where the objective is to develop the gluten.

• In Straight Dough and No Time Systems: Dough mixing happens only once.

• In Continuous Mixing Dough Systems: The first mixing is a blending step, which is not intensive in nature. The goal here is to distribute and incorporate ingredients evenly. After a set time in a fermentation and holding tank, a second mixing step occurs. This is mechanically intensive, since the goal is to develop the gluten.

Stages of dough mixing

1. Pick up: dough is sticky, cold and lumpy.

2. Initial development: dough gets warmer, smoother and drier.

3. Clean up: dough is at maximum stiffness and comes together as one cohesive mass.

4. Final development: Dough is at the correct temperature and handling quality (gluten film is visible, and the dough is ready to be discharged from mixer).

5. Letdown: The gluten matrix begins to degrade. The dough is too warm and sticky, lacks elasticity and has too much flow.

6. Breakdown: dough is beginning to liquefy. At this stage, the dough is not salvageable and cannot be used to make bread.

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Different mixers can be used in making bread dough. Capacity (pounds of dough per hour), energy consumption, rpm, acquisition costs, level of process control, hygienic design, are some features that high-speed bakers often consider buying dough mixing equipment.

• Continuous mixer

• Horizontal mixer (batch-mode operation)

• Spiral mixer (batch-mode operation)

• Tweedy or Chorleywood bread mixer (batch-mode operation)

The addition of salt, sugar and fat should be delayed to reduce dough mixing time. This helps gluten proteins hydrate and develop quickly (clean-up stage takes much less time), and provides maximum friction against mixer bowl.

Mixing is an intensive mechanical operation that produces heat from friction. This is evidenced by the temperature increase in the mass being transformed into dough. For proper machining during makeup, a final dough temperature should be close to 25–28°C (76–82°F).

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