effect of alpha-amylase activity on baguette bread quality

alpha-amylase activity of wheat flour is one of the important factors to determine its suitability for baguette bread making. in this study, setareh flour (81% extraction rate) was procured from six flourmills situated in six climatically different provinces. ph, moisture, ash, wet gluten and alpha-amylase activity tests were applied on flour samples and showed that the alpha-amylase activity in these flours is low. by adding suitable amount of diastatic barley flour to above-mentioned flours, the falling number was around 250, which indicated a good bread making potential. then baguette bread was prepared from initial flours and malt-applied flours in the same condition. organoleptical and staling analysis of bread was done on the second and third day of storage by a team of expert panelist. specific volume of bread was determined after baking. compressibility, consistency and elasticity of bread were measured using viscoelastograph during three days of storage. the results showed that there were significant differences between baguette samples (p ? 0.01). using malt applied flours with suitable alphaamylase activity better and higher quality in baguettes can be produced.