Bread with 48.5% soy ingredients was assessed for quality during frozen storage of the dough. Soy protein
was hypothesized to prevent water migration during frozen storage, thereby producing dough that
would exhibit fewer structural changes than traditional wheat bread. Wheat and soy bread were baked
from dough that was fresh or frozen (20 C, 2 or 4 wks). Dough and bread were assessed for physical
properties including moisture content, percent “freezable” and “unfreezable” water, dough extensibility,
and bread texture. The bread was subjected to an untrained sensory panel. The soy bread was denser,
chewier, and had a higher moisture content than wheat bread. When baked from fresh or frozen dough,
soy bread was rated “moderately acceptable” or higher by 70% of panelists. Soy minimized changes in
dough extensibility and resistive force to extension, leading to minimal changes in bread hardness.
Although consumers could distinguish between bread baked from soy dough that was fresh or frozen for
4 wks, sensorial and textural data suggested that the rate at which the quality of the soy dough deteriorated
was slower than that of wheat dough. In conclusion, the dough of consumer-acceptable soy
bread retained quality characteristics during frozen storage slightly better than wheat dough.