Effect of the baking process on artisanal sourdough bread-making: A technological and sensory evaluation.

When used in optimized proportions, sourdough can improve volume, texture, flavour, and nutritional value of bread, and may increase the shelf life by retarding the staling process and protecting bread from mould and bacterial spoilage. In this context, the objective of the paper is double: a) to verify the influence of different baking procedures adopted by different artisanal bakeries on the sourdough composition and performance; b) to determine whether and how the operating conditions adopted can affect the chemical composition and the sensory characteristics of bread. The preliminary results indicate that chemical composition of sourdough and bread, as well as sensorial expression of corresponding bread, might be greatly influenced by the operating conditions adopted during baking. In particular, when the activity of hetero lactic bacteria was promoted (fermentation ratio FR @ 3.0), the bread showed the worst sensorial expression in terms of taste and structural characteristics of the crumb.