Influence of the freezing condition on the baking performances of French frozen dough

Freezing affects the baking performance of frozen bread dough. The volume of the dough during proofing is related to two main factors. First, yeast is affected by freezing. A slow freezing rate is usually recommended in the literature so as to preserve its activity. Second, the gluten network is damaged during freezing. This latter phenomenon affects the ability of the dough to retain CO2 and thus minimizes the bread volume. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relative importance of these two phenomena. Sticks of French bread dough were frozen under selected conditions. A fermentometer was used to measure CO2 volume during proofing. The gluten network performance was evaluated from the dough volume variation during proofing and from the baked volume. The results showed that yeast activity was strongly related to the freezing rate and to the location inside the dough. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.