Characteristics of Noodles and Bread Prepared from Double‐Null Partial Waxy Wheat

Double‐null partial waxy wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) flours were used for isolation of starch and preparation of white salted noodles and pan bread. Starch characteristics, textural properties of cooked noodles, and staling properties of bread during storage were determined and compared with those of wheat flours with regular amylose content. Starches isolated from double‐null partial waxy wheat flours contained 15.4–18.9% amylose and exhibited higher peak viscosity than starches of single‐null partial waxy and regular wheat flours, which contained 22.7–25.8% amylose. Despite higher protein content, double‐null partial waxy wheat flours, produced softer, more cohesive and less adhesive noodles than soft white wheat flours. With incorporation of partial waxy prime starches, noodles produced from reconstituted soft white wheat flours became softer, less adhesive, and more cohesive, indicating that partial waxy starches of low amylose content are responsible for the improvement of cooked white salted noodle texture. Partial waxy wheat flours with >15.1% protein produced bread of larger loaf volume and softer bread crumb even after storage than did the hard red spring wheat flour of 15.3% protein. Regardless of whether malt was used, bread baked from double‐null partial waxy wheat flours exhibited a slower firming rate during storage than bread baked from HRS wheat flour.     

Bread Quality of Spelt Wheat and Its Starch

Flours from five spelt cultivars grown over three years were evaluated as to their breadbaking quality and isolated starch properties. The starch properties included amylose contents, gelatinization temperatures (differential scanning calorimetry), granule size distributions, and pasting properties. Milled flour showed highly variable protein content and was higher than hard winter wheat, with short dough‐mix times indicating weak gluten. High protein cultivars gave good crumb scores, some of which surpassed the HRW baking control. Loaf volume was correlated to protein and all spelt cultivars were at least 9–51% lower than the HRW control. Isolated starch properties revealed an increase in amylose in the spelt starches of 2–21% over the hard red winter wheat (HRW) control. Negative correlations were observed for the large A‐type granules to bread crumb score, amylose level, and final pasting viscosity for cultivars grown in year 1999 and to pasting temperature in 1998 samples. Positive correlations were found for the small B‐ and C‐type granules relative to crumb score, loaf volume, amylose, and RVA final pasting viscosity for cultivars grown in 1999, and to RVA pasting temperature for samples grown in 1998. The environmental impact on spelt properties seemed to have a greater effect than genetic control.     

Effects of Varying Weight Ratios of Large and Small Wheat Starch Granules on Experimental Straight‐Dough Bread

One commercial bread wheat flour with medium strength (11.3% protein content, 14% mb) was fractionated into starch, gluten, and water solubles by hand‐washing. The starch fraction was separated further into large and small granules by repeated sedimentation. Large (10–40 μm diameter) and small (1–15 μm diameter) starch fractions were examined. Flour fractions were reconstituted to original levels in the flour using composites of varying weight percentages of starch granules: 0% small granules (100% large granules), 30, 60, and 100% (0% large granules). A modified straight‐dough method was used in an experimental baking test. Crumb grain and texture were significantly affected. The bread made from the reconstituted flour with 30% small granules and 70% large granules starch had the highest crumb grain score (4.0, subjective method), the highest peak fineness value (1,029), and the second‐highest elongation ratio (1.55). Inferior crumb grain scores and low fineness and elongation ratios were observed in breads made from flours with starch fractions with 100% small granules or 100% large granules. As the proportion of small granules increased in the reconstituted flour, it yielded bread with softer texture that was better maintained than the bread made from the reconstituted reference flour during storage.     

Effects of Wheat Starch Granule Size Distribution on Qualities of Chinese Steamed Bread and Raw White Noodles

Starch is a crucial component determining the processing quality of wheat‐based products such as Chinese steamed bread (CSB) and raw white noodles (RWN). Flour from wheat cultivar Zhongmai 175 was used for fractionation into starch, gluten, and water solubles by hand washing. The starch fraction was successfully separated into large (>10 μm diameter) and small starch granules (<10 μm diameter) by repeated sedimentation. Flour fractions were reconstituted to original levels in the flour by using constant gluten and water solubles and varying the weight ratio of large and small starch granules. As the proportion of small granules increased in the reconstituted flours, farinograph water absorption increased, and amylose content, pasting peak viscosity, trough, and final viscosity decreased. Starch granule size distribution significantly affected processing quality of CSB and RWN. Superior crumb structure score (12.0) was observed in CSB made from reconstituted flour with 35% small starch granules. CSB made from reconstituted flours with 30 and 35% small starch granules exhibited the highest total scores, with values of 85.4 and 83.3, respectively. Significant improvements in color, viscoelasticity, and smoothness of RWN were obtained with an increase in small starch granule content, and reconstituted flours with 30–40% small starch granules produced RWN with moderate firmness.     

Gluten‐Free Bread from Sorghum: Quality Differences Among Hybrids

Gluten‐free breadmaking quality of 10 sorghum flours was compared using (relative basis) decorticated sorghum flour (70), corn starch (30), water (105), salt (1.75), sugar (1), and dried yeast (2). Batter consistency was standardized by varying water levels to achieve the same force during extrusion. Crumb properties were evaluated by digital image analysis and texture profile analysis (TPA). Significant differences (P < 0.001) in crumb grain were found among the hybrids with mean cell area ranging from 1.3 to 3.3 mm² and total number of cells ranging from 13.5 to 27.8/cm². TPA hardness values of the crumb also varied significantly (P < 0.001). Based on significant correlations (P < 0.01), starch damage, influenced by kernel hardness, was identified as a key element for these differences. Breads differed little in volume, height, bake loss, and water activity. Investigation of added ingredients on bread quality was conducted using response surface methodology (RSM) with two sorghum hybrids of opposite quality. Addition of xanthan gum (0.3–1.2% flour weight basis [fwb]) and skim milk powder (1.2–4.8% fwb) and varying water levels (100–115% fwb) were tested using a central composite design. Increasing water levels increased loaf specific volume, while increasing xanthan gum levels decreased the volume. As skim milk powder levels increased, loaf height decreased. Quality differences between the hybrids were maintained throughout the RSM.     

Effect of Starch Granule Size Distribution and Elevated Amylose Content on Durum Dough Rheology and Spaghetti Cooking Quality

To obtain an indication of the effect of increasing the starch amylose content above normal levels (27–74%) and increasing the percentage of B‐type starch granules (11–60%) on durum dough properties and the quality of the spaghetti derived from these doughs, the reconstitution approach was used. Reconstituted flours were prepared from a common Wollaroi gluten, solubles and tailings fraction combined with starches containing varying B‐granule contents, or with starches from maize with varying amylose content. An increased B‐granule content increased farinograph water absorption. Cooked spaghetti firmness was highest with B‐type granules at 32–44% (volume percentage basis), which is ≈10–15% higher than normally found in durum starch. Increasing the amylose content in the starch caused the dough to be more extensible, increased spaghetti firmness, and decreased water absorption with optimum quality of amylose at 32–44%. The information indicates there would be benefit in producing durum wheats with slightly elevated B‐granule and amylose contents.     

Levels of Protein and Protein Composition in Hard Winter Wheat Flours and the Relationship to Breadmaking

Protein and protein fractions were measured in 49 hard winter wheat flours to investigate their relationship to breadmaking properties, particularly loaf volume, which varied from 760 to 1,055 cm³ and crumb grain score of 1.0–5.0 from 100 g of flour straight‐dough bread. Protein composition varied with flour protein content because total soluble protein (SP) and gliadin levels increased proportionally to increased protein content, but albumins and globulins (AG), soluble polymeric proteins (SPP), and insoluble polymeric protein (IPP) levels did not. Flour protein content was positively correlated with loaf volume and bake water absorption (r = 0.80, P < 0.0001 and r = 0.45, P < 0.01, respectively). The percent SP based on flour showed the highest correlation with loaf volume (r = 0.85) and low but significant correlation with crumb grain score (r = 0.35, P < 0.05). Percent gliadins based on flour and on protein content were positively correlated to loaf volume (r = 0.73, P < 0.0001 and r = 0.46, P < 0.001, respectively). The percent IPP based on flour was the only protein fraction that was highly correlated (r = 0.62, P < 0.0001) with bake water absorption followed by AG in flour (r = 0.30, P < 0.05). Bake mix time was correlated positively with percent IPP based on protein (r = 0.86) but negatively with percent SPP based on protein (r = ‐0.56, P < 0.0001).     

Impact of Waxy,Partial Waxy,and Wildtype Wheat Starch Fraction Properties on Hearth Bread Characteristics

Thirteen different wheat cultivars were selected to represent GBSS mutations: three each of wildtype, axnull, and bxnull, and two each of 2xnull and waxy. Starch and A‐ and B‐granules were purified from wheat flour. Hearth bread loaves were produced from the flours using a small‐scale baking method. A‐granules purified from wildtype and partial waxy (axnull, bxnull, and 2xnull) starches have significantly higher gelatinization enthalpy and peak viscosity compared with B‐granules. A‐ and B‐granules from waxy starch do not differ in gelatinization, pasting, and gelation properties. A‐ and B‐granules from waxy starch have the highest enthalpy, peak temperature, peak viscosity, breakdown, and lowest pasting peak time and pasting temperature compared with A‐ and B‐granules from partial waxy and wildtype starch. Waxy wheat flour has much higher water absorption compared with partial waxy and wildtype flour. No significant difference in hearth bread baking performance was observed between wildype and partial waxy wheat flour. Waxy wheat flour produced hearth bread with significantly lower form ratio, weight, a more open pore structure, and a bad overall appearance. Baking with waxy, partial waxy, and wildtype wheat flour had no significant effect on loaf volume.     

Granule Bound Starch Synthase I (GBSSI) Gene Effects Related to Soft Wheat Flour/Starch Characteristics and Properties

Eight soft spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes representing the four granule bound starch synthase I (GBSSI) classes were evaluated with respect to flour/starch characteristics and pasting behaviors. Native starch was isolated from genotype straight‐grade flours (94.8–98.1% of starch recovered) to approximate the starch populations of the parent flours. As anticipated, amylose characteristics varied among the genotypes according to GBSSI class and accounted for the primary compositional difference between genotypes. Total (TAM), apparent (AAM), and lipid‐complexed (LAM) amylose contents ranged from 1.0–25.5 g, 0.7–20.4 g, and 0.3–5.6 g/100 g of native starch, respectively, and gradually decreased with the progressive loss of active Wx alleles. In addition, genotype flour total starch (FTS) and A‐type starch granule contents, which ranged from 81.7–87.6 g/100 g of flour (db) and 61.6–76.8 g/100 g of native starch (db), respectively, generally decreased with an increase in waxy character in parallel with amylose characteristics, as likely secondary effects of Wx gene dosage. Though amylose characteristics predominantly accounted for the majority of genotype flour pasting properties, FTS content and ratios of A‐ to B‐type granules also exhibited significant influence. Thus, loss of one or more Wx genes appeared to induce measurable secondary effects on starch characteristics and properties.     

Effects of Oat Grain Hydrothermal Treatments on Wheat-Oat Flour Dough Properties and Breadbaking Quality

Hydrothermal treatments, which are routine in oat processing, have profound effects on oat flour dough rheological properties. The influence of roasting and steam treatments of oat grain on dough mixing and breadbaking properties was investigated when hydrothermally treated oat flour was blended with wheat flour. Roasting of oat grain (105°C, 2 hr) resulted in oat flours that were highly detrimental to wheat flour dough mixing properties and breadbaking quality. Steaming (105°C, 20 min) or a combination of roasting and steaming of oat grain significantly improved the breadbaking potential of the oat flours. The addition of oat flours increased water absorption and mixing requirements of the wheat flour dough and also decreased bread loaf volume. However, at the 10% substitution level, steamed oat flours exhibited only a gluten dilution effect on bread loaf volume when wheat starch was used as a reference. Oat flour in the breadbaking system decreased the retrogradation rate of bread crumb starch. The results indicate that adequate hydrothermal treatments of oat grain are necessary for oat flour breadbaking applications. Steamed oat flours used at a 10% level retarded bread staling without adversely affecting the loaf volume.     

Relationship of Bread Quality to Kernel,Flour, and Dough Properties

This study measured the relationship between bread quality and 49 hard red spring (HRS) or 48 hard red winter (HRW) grain, flour, and dough quality characteristics. The estimated bread quality attributes included loaf volume, bake mix time, bake water absorption, and crumb grain score. The best‐fit models for loaf volume, bake mix time, and water absorption had R² values of 0.78–0.93 with five to eight variables. Crumb grain score was not well estimated, and had R² values ≈0.60. For loaf volume models, grain or flour protein content was the most important parameter included. Bake water absorption was best estimated when using mixograph water absorption, and flour or grain protein content. Bake water absorption models could generally be improved by including farinograph, mixograph, or alveograph measurements. Bake mix time was estimated best when using mixograph mix time, and models could be improved by including glutenin data. When the data set was divided into calibration and prediction sets, the loaf volume and bake mix time models still looked promising for screening samples. When including only variables that could be rapidly measured (protein content, test weight, single kernel moisture content, single kernel diameter, single kernel hardness, bulk moisture content, and dark hard and vitreous kernels), only loaf volume could be predicted with accuracies adequate for screening samples.     

Quality of Flours from Waxy and Nonwaxy Barley for Production of Baked Products

One nonwaxy (covered) and two waxy (hull-less) barleys, whole grain and commercially abraded, were milled to break flour, reduction flour, and the bran fraction with a roller mill under optimized conditions. The flour yield range was 55.3–61.8% in whole grain and increased by 9–11% by abrasion before milling. Break flours contained the highest starch content (≤85.8%) independent of type of barley and abrasion level. Reduction flours contained less starch, but more protein, ash, free lipids, and total β-glucans than break flours. The bran fraction contained the highest content of ash, free lipids, protein, and total β-glucans but the lowest content of starch. Break flours milled from whole grain contained 82–91% particles <106 μm, and reduction flours contained ≈80% particles <106 μm. Abrasion significantly increased the amount of particles <38 μm in break and reduction flours in both types of barley. Viscosity of hot paste prepared with barley flour or bran at 8% concentration was strongly affected by barley type and abrasion level. In cv. Waxbar, the viscosity in bran fractions increased from 428 to 1,770 BU, and in break flours viscosity increased from 408 to 725 BU due to abrasion. Sugar snap cookies made from nonwaxy barley had larger diameter than cookies prepared from waxy barley. Cookies made from break flours were larger than those made from reduction flours, independent of type of barley. Quick bread baked from nonwaxy barley had a loaf volume similar to that of wheat bread, whereas waxy barley bread had a smaller loaf volume. Replacement of 20% of wheat flour by both waxy and nonwaxy barley flour or bran did not significantly affect the loaf volume but did decrease the hardness of quick bread crumb.     

Factors Controlling Gas Cell Failure in Bread Dough

Stress relaxation in the wall of a gas bubble, as measured by the alveograph, was used to study surface tension at the gas-dough interface of doughs from flours producing differing bread crumb grains. The surface tensions in the various wheat flour doughs were not different. Dough rheological properties, as measured by both dynamic oscillatory rheometry and lubricated uniaxial compression, were not different for doughs made from wheat flours that gave breads with different crumb grains. However, when the effect of starch granule size on gas cell wall stability was tested, the presence of a greater proportion of large starch granules in wheat flour dough was sufficient to result in gas cell coalescence and open crumb grain in the final baked product. This suggests that starch granule size is at least one of the factors that affects the crumb grain of bread.     

Characteristics of French Bread Baked from Wheat Flours of Reduced Starch Amylose Content

Wheat genotypes of wild type, partial waxy, and waxy starch were used to determine the influence of starch amylose content on French bread making quality of wheat flour. Starch amylose content and protein content of flours were 25.0–25.4% and 14.3–16.9% for wild type; 21.2 and 14.9% for single null partial waxy; 15.4–17.1% and 13.2–17.6% for double null partial waxy; and 1.8 and 19.3% for waxy starch, respectively. Wheat flours of double null partial waxy starch produced smaller or comparable loaf volume of bread than wheat flours of wild type and single null partial waxy starch. Waxy wheat flour, despite its high protein content, generally produced smaller volume of bread with highly porous, glutinous, and weak crumb than wheat flours of wild type and partial waxy starch. French bread baked from a flour of double null partial waxy starch using the sponge-and-dough method maintained greater crumb moisture content for 24 hr and softer crumb texture for 48 hr of storage compared with bread baked from a flour of wild type starch. In French bread baked using the straight-dough method, double null partial waxy wheat flours with protein content >14.3% exhibited comparable or greater moisture content of bread crumb during 48 hr of storage than wheat flours of wild type starch. While the crumb firmness of bread stored for 48 hr was >11.4 N in wheat flours of wild type starch, it was <10.6 N in single or double null partial waxy flours. Wheat flours of reduced starch amylose content could be desirable for production of French bread with better retained crumb moisture and softness during storage.     

Susceptibility of Waxy Starch Granules to Mechanical Damage

Starch samples isolated from wheat flour that represented four possible waxy states (0, 1, 2, and 3‐gene waxy) were subjected to crushing loads under both dry and wet conditions. Calibrated loads of 0.5–20 kg were applied to the starch samples and the percentage of damaged granules was visually determined. Under dry crushing conditions, starches containing amylose (0, 1, and 2‐gene waxy) had between 1% (5‐kg load) to 3% (15‐ and 20‐kg load) damaged granules, whereas waxy starch (3‐ gene waxy; <1% amylose) began rupturing at 0.5‐kg load (3.5% damaged granules) and had 13% damaged granules when ≥10‐kg load was applied. Under wet crushing conditions, normal and partial waxy starch (0, 1, and 2‐gene waxy) showed little difference in percentage of damaged granules when compared to the results of dry crushing. Waxy starch (3‐gene waxy), however, showed substantially increased numbers of damaged granules: 12% damaged granules at 0.5‐kg load, rising to 55% damaged granules at 15‐kg load. The results indicate that waxy starch granules are less resistant to mechanical damage than normal starch granules. Furthermore, blends of normal and waxy wheats or wheat flours intended to have a particular amylose‐amylopectin ratio will be a complex system with unique processing and formulation considerations and opportunities.     

Solvent Retention Capacity Values in Relation to Hard Winter Wheat and Flour Properties and Straight‐Dough Breadmaking Quality

Solvent retention capacity (SRC) was investigated in assessing the end use quality of hard winter wheat (HWW). The four SRC values of 116 HWW flours were determined using 5% lactic acid, 50% sucrose, 5% sodium carbonate, and distilled water. The SRC values were greatly affected by wheat and flour protein contents, and showed significant linear correlations with 1,000‐kernel weight and single kernel weight, size, and hardness. The 5% lactic acid SRC value showed the highest correlation (r = 0.83, P < 0.0001) with straight‐dough bread volume, followed by 50% sucrose, and least by distilled water. We found that the 5% lactic acid SRC value differentiated the quality of protein relating to loaf volume. When we selected a set of flours that had a narrow range of protein content of 12–13% (n = 37) from the 116 flours, flour protein content was not significantly correlated with loaf volume. The 5% lactic acid SRC value, however, showed a significant correlation (r = 0.84, P < 0.0001) with loaf volume. The 5% lactic acid SRC value was significantly correlated with SDS‐sedimentation volume (r = 0.83, P < 0.0001). The SDS‐sedimentation test showed a similar capability to 5% lactic acid SRC, correlating significantly with loaf volume for flours with similar protein content (r = 0.72, P < 0.0001). Prediction models for loaf volume were derived from a series of wheat and flour quality parameters. The inclusion of 5% lactic acid SRC values in the prediction model improved R² = 0.778 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 57.2 from R² = 0.609 and RMSE = 75.6, respectively, from the prediction model developed with the single kernel characterization system (SKCS) and near‐infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy data. The prediction models were tested with three validation sets with different protein ranges and confirmed that the 5% lactic acid SRC test is valuable in predicting the loaf volume of bread from a HWW flour, especially for flours with similar protein contents.     

Effects of Flour Strength,Baking Absorption,and Processing Conditions on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Bread Crumb

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of flour type, baking absorption, variation in sheeting, and dough proofing time on the density, crumb grain (visual texture), and mechanical properties (physical texture) of bread crumb. All response variables were measured on the same bread crumb specimens. Bread loaves were prepared by a short‐time bread‐making process using four spring wheat flours of varying strength. After crumb density measurement, digital image analysis (DIA) was used to determine crumb grain properties including crumb brightness, cell size, cell wall thickness, and crumb uniformity. Tensile tests were performed on bone‐shaped specimens cut from the same bread slices used for DIA to obtain values for Young's modulus, fracture stress, fracture strain, and fracture energy. Proof time had the most profound influence on the bread with substantial effects on loaf volume, crumb density, crumb brightness, and grain, as well as crumb mechanical properties. Increasing proof time resulted in higher loaf volume, lower crumb density and brightness, coarser crumb with fewer and larger cells with thicker cell walls, and weaker crumb tensile properties. Varying flour type also led to significant differences in most of the measured crumb parameters that appeared to correspond to differences in gluten strength among the flour samples. With increasing flour strength, there was a clear trend to increasing loaf volume, finer and more uniform crumb grain, and stronger and more extensible bread crumb. Increasing baking absorption had virtually no effect on crumb structure but significantly weakened crumb strength and increased fracture strain. In contrast, varying the number of sheeting passes had a minor effect on crumb cellular structure but no effect on mechanical properties. The experimental data were consistent with a cause‐effect relationship between flour strength and the tensile strength of bread crumb arising as a result of stronger flours exhibiting greater resistance to gas cell coalescence, thereby having fewer crumb defects.     

Starch Granule Size Distribution from Seven Wheat Cultivars Under Different Water Regimes

Seven wheat cultivars with different starch contents were used as materials to investigate the distribution of grain starch granule size under irrigated and rainfed conditions. In mature grains, the diameter of starch granules was 0.37–52.6 μm, and the percent volume distribution showed a two‐peak curve with the mean particle diameter of 5 (B‐type) and 25 μm (A‐type) at each peak. The volume percentages of A‐ and B‐types were 52.7–65.5% and 34.5–47.3%, respectively. A two‐peak curve is also shown in percent surface area distribution of starch granules, but only one peak in percent number. Both irrigated and rainfed conditions had a significant effect on the starch granule size distribution of the seven cultivars. As compared with irrigated treatment, rainfed treatment affected the distribution of starch granules in grains of all cultivars through increasing the volume percentage and surface area percentage of 2–9.8 and <9.8 μm starch granules and decreasing those of >9.8 and >18.8 μm starch granules. The soil water deficit also decreased the contents of amylose and starch in grains and increased protein content, indicating that different water regimes had an evident effect on grain quality. According to correlation coefficients (r), the contents of amylose, starch, and protein in grains was significantly correlated with the volume percentage of starch granules with different diameter ranges.     

Transgenic Enhancement of High‐Molecular‐Weight Glutenin Subunit 1Dy10 Concentration: Effects in Wheat Flour Blends and Sponge and Dough Baking

Dough strength is needed for efficient breadmaking quality. This property is strongly influenced in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by gluten seed storage proteins and, in particular, by high‐molecular‐weight (HMW) glutenin subunit composition. Experiments were designed to elevate expression of a key native HMW glutenin subunit (1Dy10) via genetic engineering and to determine whether resultant flours can be used in sponge and dough applications, the most common commercial bread‐baking procedure. Both unblended and blended samples from transgenic and nontransgenic sister lines were tested, with blended samples being formed by addition to a control sample. Dough properties, as determined by farinograph evaluation, were improved by the transgene‐encoded increases in 1Dy10 in both undiluted and blended flours. Mean farinograph stability of transgenic samples was twice that of the control, and blends with transgenic samples demonstrated increases in stabilities proportional to the amount of transgenic flour included. Mean farinograph quality numbers of transgenic samples, and of all blends containing transgenic flour, were significantly higher than both the control and all nontransgenic treatments. In the sponge and dough bake procedure, undiluted transgenic samples induced lower scores, relative to both control and undiluted nontransgenic samples, for water absorption, crumb body firmness, and loaf volume. In blends, however, the transgenic samples resulted in improvements in some sponge and dough loaf attributes, including loaf symmetry and crumb color score, without any concomitant loss of loaf volume in transgenic blends. These improved variables relate to finished product appearance and to consumer selection in markets. The use of transgenic flours with increased 1Dy10 glutenin content in commercial blends could provide advantages in sponge and dough bake applications.     

Model approach to starch functionality in bread making

We used modified wheat starches in gluten-starch flour models to study the role of starch in bread making. Incorporation of hydroxypropylated starch in the recipe reduced loaf volume and initial crumb firmness and increased crumb gas cell size. Firming rate and firmness after storage increased for loaves containing the least hydroxypropylated starch. Inclusion of cross-linked starch had little effect on loaf volume or crumb structure but increased crumb firmness. The firming rate was mostly similar to that of control samples. Presumably, the moment and extent of starch gelatinization and the concomitant water migration influence the structure formation during baking. Initial bread firmness seems determined by the rigidity of the gelatinized granules and leached amylose. Amylopectin retrogradation and strengthening of a long-range network by intensifying the inter- and intramolecular starch-starch and possibly also starch-gluten interactions (presumably because of water incorporation in retrograded amylopectin crystallites) play an important role in firming.