Volume and texture improvement of gluten-free bread using quinoa white flour

• Quinoa white flour increased the volume of gluten-free bread by 33% compared to rice/corn flour.
• Without bran components the baking performance of quinoa flour was improved.
• Higher substrate availability for yeast increased the specific bread volume.
• Quinoa white flour improved the foam properties of gluten-free bread.

Patients suffering from coeliac disease have to avoid traditional cereals-based products and depend on the availability of gluten-free alternatives. The gluten-free bread matrix and its foam stability are strongly affected by the choice of ingredients. In this study, the impact of quinoa white flour on bread quality parameters, in particular volume, has been investigated. The pseudocereal proved to be a suitable substrate for dough aeration using yeast, since considerably more glucose and a higher activity of α-glucosidase were found in comparison to rice and corn flour. Consequently, quinoa white flour was used to replace 40–100% of the rice and corn flour in a gluten-free control recipe. As a result, quinoa white flour enhanced the specific volume by 33%, which was related to the absence of bran components and the increased α-glucosidase activity. The significance of the latter was proven by separately adding sucrose and fungal amyloglucosidase to the control recipe. Moreover, the crumb featured homogeneous and finely distributed gas bubbles and the taste was not compromised. Thus, it was possible to improve the quality of gluten-free bread by using quinoa white flour, which might be a relief for coeliac patients.