Question

Building an appropriate protein matrix is essential for achieving the proper quality features in baked goods. Increasing the amount of sugar in a recipe will have which of the following effects on gluten development and the mixing process?

A. Added sugar will speed gluten development and require more manipulation
B. Added sugar will slow gluten development and require more manipulation
C. Added sugar will speed gluten development and require less manipulation
D. Added sugar will slow gluten development and require less manipulation.

Answer 1

The correct answer is D. Added sugar will slow gluten development and require less manipulation in the dough mixing process since sugar competes with proteins for water, essential for gluten formation.

Step-by-step explanation:

Increasing the amount of sugar in a recipe will have the effect of slowing gluten development and requiring less manipulation. Therefore, the correct answer is D. Added sugar will slow gluten development and require less manipulation.

When sugar is added to a dough, it competes with the proteins that form gluten for water. Gluten needs water to develop properly, so the presence of sugar means that the proteins in the flour get less water. This ultimately leads to a slower rate of gluten development. Additionally, because the gluten is developing more slowly, the dough generally requires less manipulation compared to a dough with less sugar.