Incorporation of mushroom powder into bread dough—effects on dough rheology and bread properties

Background and objectives: Mushroom powders from white button, shiitake, and porcini mushrooms were used to replace high-grade wheat flour at levels of 5%, 10%, and 15% in dough and bread manufacture for nutritional enhancement. Dough quality, including rheology properties, stickiness, adhesion, extension, and moisture content, was analyzed. Bread quality, including height, specific volume, moisture content, hardness, springiness, gumminess, and bubbles, was determined. Findings: Mushroom powder-substituted dough showed significantly less stability, higher water absorption capacity, less peak energy, and less extensibility than the control dough. The bread with mushroom powder were smaller in specific loaf volume (except for the 5% porcini mushroom), exhibited reduced springiness, and reduced height (except for the 5% porcini mushroom) compared to the control samples. Moreover, the addition of mushroom powder altered the porosity properties of the bread. Conclusions: Mushroom-supplemented bread have a place in the market as a functional, novel bread product, by delivering more dietary fiber, high-quality protein, and other bioactive components to consumers. Further research on the nutritional properties of these final bread products should be carried out in the future. Significance and novelty: White button, shiitake, and porcini mushrooms were incorporated into wheat bread to evaluate their effects on the dough quality and the physical-textural properties of final bread products.