Measuring The Texture Of Dough For Bakery And Food Manufacturers

By Chris Freeman

Dough is the staple of the bakery world. Producing “good” dough consistently in manufacturing is the challenge. Test methods have arisen that standardize how dough is evaluated for acceptability using a Texture Analyzer. This instrument can either compress or stretch the dough to evaluate flow behavior. Specially designed fixtures that measure firmness, stickiness, and extensibility are available for assessing dough performance and consistency. This article identifies and explains some of the most popular test methods.