Stone Milling of Hard Red Spring Wheat: Effect of Settings on Flour, Dough and Bread Quality
Abstract
Stone milling is an ancient method for grinding without separation of the wheat constituents to produce flour. This study evaluated the effect of three different stone gaps (setting wide, medium, and narrow) and 200 and 400 revolutions per minute (rpm) on the particle size distribution of whole wheat flour and its effect on baking, and dough rheological properties. Gap settings wide and medium at 200 rpm produced higher amount of small particles (<250 µm), resulting in a greater angle of repose, starch damage, loaf volume, lighter flour, and bread color. Water absorption and rheological parameters were significantly different from the other flours (P<0.05). This study showed an effect of the stone mill settings on the particle size distribution of whole wheat flour and its subsequent impact on bread quality.