Effect of Flour Particle Size on Chemical and Rheological Properties of Wheat Flour Dough

The present study evaluates the effect of wheat flour particle sizes on the chemical and rheological properties of flatbread dough. Three wheat flour samples with particle sizes smaller than 125μm, 125-150μm, and 150-180μm were examined for their chemical and rheological attributes. Flour with a particle size of <125μm demonstrated the highest levels of wet gluten, Zeleny number, and Falling number values. In addition, the dough development time and stability of this flour were higher than samples of larger particle sizes. The maximum dough energy and extensibility values of Extensograph tests were obtained at the resting time of 45, 90, and 135 minutes for flour with particle sizes of <125μm. The results have indicated that the flour with particle sizes of 150-180μm has the highest values of ash content, water absorption, and softening degree based on Farinograph parameters. In addition, at all resting times, the maximum values of resistance to extension and ratio of resistance to extension to extensibility were shown in particle sizes of 150-180μm. The results have demonstrated that the flour with particle sizes of <125μm has the best quality in terms of chemical and rheological properties for cooking flatbread, which is inherently influenced by milling.