Bread is a food that is part of the human being's daily life. Regardless of the origin, type and location, during the preparation of bread, your dough always rises. But why does this happen? And what are the typical ingredients used for its preparation?
a) Basic ingredients for making bread
Wheat flour (in its composition the proteins gliadin and glutenin);
Wheat flour is the main constituent of bread dough
Water;
Yeast (yeast or fungus called Saccharomyces Cerevisae);
Salt (Sodium Chloride).
b) Why does the dough rise?
When wheat flour is mixed with water and subjected to mechanical force (kneading with with the hands or using a machine), the proteins present in the flour interact and form a network (formed per molecules) called gluten.
The use of hands (mechanical strength) in the preparation of bread dough
In gluten, we have several gliadin molecules (proteins with a globular shape) linked to molecules of glutenin (proteins with an elongated shape). The interaction between these proteins favors the greater elasticity of the bread dough.
Protein molecules that form gluten
When the dough is left to rest after kneading, the yeasts carry out a chemical reaction called fermentation. During fermentation, the carbohydrates present in the dough are converted into carbon dioxide (CO2) and ethanol (alcohol).
as the CO2 formed is a gas, when produced, it escapes to the environment. However, as bread has a network of proteins in the dough (gluten), it manages to trap part of the carbon dioxide.
In an attempt to expand (go out into the environment), carbon dioxide forces gluten, stretching it, giving us the feeling that the mass is growing.
Image sequence of bread dough growth
When baking the dough in the oven, the bread tends to grow even more because the heat favors the occurrence. fermentation, in addition to making the gas particles move faster and further forcing the gluten.
By Me. Diogo Lopes Dias
