Measurement of local pressure during proving of bread dough sticks: Contribution of surface tension and dough viscosity to gas pressure in bubbles

Proving of bread dough is a crucial step in bread making. So far researches have succeeded in modelling the bubble growth according to miscellaneous external conditions. These models are based on assumptions that can be discussed at the light of pressure measurements inside dough bubbles during proving. In this study, the use of miniaturised pressure transducers made it possible to assess pressure inside bubbles of diameter larger than a quarter of a millimetre. Pressure results were discussed with the use of a simplified mathematical model in order to give insights onto the forces restricting bubble growth. The relevance of the surface tension versus the viscous resistance of the dough was discussed into two water content conditions.