Development of sourdough bread from roll‑milled and stone‑ground soft (Triticum aestivum) wheat flours milled to different extraction rates

The aims of the present study are: (i) to verify the influence of different flour extraction rates and milling procedures on bread quality, (ii) to optimize the bread-making process by using different percentage and time of fermentation of three spontaneously developed type I sourdoughs. These latter were prepared with a whole-meal wheat flour blend (SA), a type 0 wheat flour blend (SB) both obtained by steel roll milling, and a type 2 wheat flour blend obtained by stone grinding (SC). The pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), and stability of the microbiota of the three sourdoughs were assessed before baking trials. TTA, specific volume, weight, crumb core moisture, texture, and global liking of sourdough bread, in comparison to control bread made with commercial baker’s yeast, were determined. Moisture, texture, and global liking of bread were also evaluated during 6 days of storage. SA was characterized by a significantly higher pH and TTA values than SB and SC. Differences in the LAB-to-yeast ratio were registered among the three sourdoughs although no differences were seen in terms of the dominant microbial community. Concerning breads, although the type 0 roll-milled wheat flour showed better dough rheological performance compared to whole-meal wheat flour and stone-ground wheat flour, sourdough fermentation positively affected the specific volume, texture, and global liking of bread manufactured with stone-ground wheat flour. Overall, for an efficient use of sourdough and bread quality improvement, optimal conditions need to be found by tailoring sourdough to the type of flour used.