Effects of Red Lentil Flour Gels on the Development and Rheological Parameters of Dough and Bread Texture

This study aims to investigate the role of red lentil flour gel in the development of dough and bread texture. The flour was obtained from untreated (FLU), blanched (FLS), and fermented (FLF) red lentil seeds. Subsequently, wheat flour was replaced with lentil flour in different percentages (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10%), and the α-amylase activity of the flour samples was determined. The rheological properties of the dough during the fermentation process (dough development and gas formation and retention, elastic (G') and viscous (G″) moduli) were also investigated. The hardness, resilience, cohesiveness, and elasticity of the bread samples were obtained using a TVT-6700 texturometer (Perten Instruments, Hägersten, Sweden). The results showed that α-amylase activity was stronger and the falling number decreased as the amount of lentil flour added increased (from 506 ± 2.50 s (control sample) to 386 ± 1.25 s for 10% FLU and to 403 ± 0.60 s for 10% FLF), except for the FLS samples (which ranged from 518 ± 2.92 to 559 ± 2.81 s). Lentils can disrupt the gluten network in dough, and it has been observed that dough quality was influenced by the addition and treatment of lentils: the maximum height of the dough decreased (from 53.8 mm (control sample) to less than 35 mm) as the percentage of wheat flour replaced by lentil flour increased. In contrast, the amount of gas formed was greater than in the control sample, demonstrating the positive effect of lentil flour on dough fermentation. Textural analysis showed positive effects at moderate concentrations of up to 6% lentil flour. Thus, bread hardness decreased from 1933 ± 0.13 (control sample) to 1849 ± 0.75 for 6% FLU and 1911 ± 0.56 for 6% FLF. The results showed that the use of 4% blanched or fermented lentil flour in dough gives it superior properties compared with regular dough, which leads to improved properties in baked goods.