Flour cookie

Hard-wheat flour cookie doughs underwent an apparent glass transition at a lower temperature than did soft wheat flour cookie doughs. Decreasing the sugar level in the dough, 7 g decreased. 

Soft-wheat flours are sold for general family use, as biscuit or cake flours, and for the commercial production of crackers, pretzels, cakes, cookies, and pastry. The protein in soft wheat flour mns from 7 to 10%. There are differences in appearance, texture, and absorption capacity between hard- and soft-wheat flour subjected to the same milling procedures. Hard-wheat flour falls into separate particles if shaken in the hand whereas, soft-wheat flour tends to clump and hold its shape if pressed together. Hard-wheat flour feels slightly coarse and granular when mbbed between the fingers soft-wheat flour feels soft and smooth. Hard-wheat flour absorbs more Hquid than does soft-wheat flour. Consequently, many recipes recommend a variable measure of either flour or Hquid to achieve a desired consistency. 

Butter is used in some, usually more expensive, bakery foods, and is prized for its flavor contribution. Fats are used in some products such as pie cmst, croissants, or puff pastry, up to 60%, based on flour. StabiHty of fats and oils in perishable items such as breads, cakes, or pastries is of no consequence because shelf life is so limited that rancidity does not occur. In cookies and crackers, however, stable fats must be used in the formula since prolonged shelf life could lead to product deterioration with fats that develop rancidity. 

The primary advantage of MCP is to create a large number of gas cells rapidly during mixing. These gas cells serve as nuclei for a greater expansion later in the oven. MCP also finds many uses in the products in which fast release of carbon dioxide and a low bench action are requited. Examples are pancake mixes, cookie mixes, and angel food cakes. The milling industry uses MCP in the manufacture of phosphated flour. 

There is an American test for biscuit flour that involves producing standard cookies baked on a standard aluminium plate. The diameter of the finished product is measured. The greater the diameter the higher the score. This test is of course a measure of dough extensibility, which is the crucial property for biscuit flours. 

The protein content of cookies was markedly influenced by the addition and protein content of the various legume flours (Figure 4). Each increment of peanut flour raised the total protein content in cookies by 1.5%. Increases of 1.4% occurred with soy flour and 0.5% with cowpea flour. 

Figure 3. Representative sugar cookies prepared from defatted peanut, soybean, and field pea flours at 0, 10, 20, and 30% wheat flour replacement levels. Reproduced with permission from Ref. 3. Copyright 1978, American Association of Cereal Chemists.

Defatted flours are especially attractive as protein sources, since 10-12% substitution of wheat flour with 50% protein flour will raise total protein content of typical wheat breads by approximately 50%, and 25% substitution will almost double the protein content of cookies. Preparation of protein-enriched breads has been reported in the literature using soy flours and protein concentrates (25), peanut flours and peanut protein concentrates C26, 27), glandless cottonseed flours, concentrates and isolates (28), sunflower seed flours and seed protein concentrates (27) and sesame flours and protein concentrates (26). 

The maximum amounts of vegetable food protein flours that can be substituted in bread without affecting loaf volume and texture are 5-10% (depending upon the source), and 18-20% can be substituted in cookies without affecting spread and surface characteristics (26). The quantity of vegetable protein flour that can be accommodated in bread can be increased substantially by pre-toasting and by the use of approximately 1.5% sodium stearoyl 2-lactylate (28) and other emulsifiers. 

High-protein, low-cost Nigerian foods, chin-chin, puff-puff, akara (9), akamu, sugar cookies and yeast bread (10) were developed using raw full-fat cottonseed (Table I), defatted cottonseed (Table V), soybean, peanut or sesame flours as protein supplements. 

Cottonseed, peanut, sesame seed, and soybean flours, when used as supplements, add to the quality of the protein. The improvement of protein quality was due to the flours compensating for limiting amino acids. Supplementation using various flours improved total protein, amino acid content and some physical characteristics in akamu, yeast bread and sugar cookies. 

Peanut Butter Cookies, Three types of peanut butter cookies, control, high protein (30% bean protein concentrate substitute for flour) and high fiber (20% bean hulls substituted for flour) prepared at Michigan State University bakery were evaluated for their physical characteristics (Table 2),... 

Table II, Quality characteristics of peanut butter cookies prepared with navy bean hull (20%) and protein (30%) substitutions for wheat flour.

Fermentation of plant foods generally increases mineral bioavailability. Studies by Ranhotra and coworkers (121, 122 for example) have shown increased available zinc from breads and cookies that have undergone yeast fermentation. Also, iron was shown by these workers to be more highly available from unfortified breads than from breads fortified with wheat bran, soy flour or other whole grain vegetable flours. 

Beuchat (60) investigated the performance of enzyme-hydrolyzed defatted peanut flour in a cookie formula. Flour slurries were treated with pepsin at pH 2.0, bromelain at pH 4.5, and trypsin at pH 7.6. After readjustment to pH 6.9, materials were freeze-dried, pulverized (60-mesh), and then substituted for wheat flour at 5, 15, and 25%. Adjustment of peanut flour to pH 2.0, as well as treatment with pepsin at this pH, greatly improved the handling characteristics of dough in which these flours were incorporated. Use of peanut flours treated at pH 4.5, with or without bromelain, and at pH 7.6, with or without trypsin, improved handling properties of cookie dough. These doughs did not tend to crumble... 

Enzyme hydrolysis of peanut flour also altered the physical characteristics of baked cookies (60). With the exception of the bromelain hydrolysate, the use of peanut flour in cookies resulted in increased specific volume when compared to the 100% wheat flour control. Untreated peanut flour substitution reduced the diameter and increased the height of cookies however, treatment with proteolytic enzymes reversed the behavior. As evidenced by substantial increases in spread ratios, the diameter of cookies containing treated flours increased proportionately more than did the height. These data promote the feasibility of decreasing or increasing the spread of cookies through the addition of various amounts of untreated or enzyme-treated peanut flour. 

Tn the industrial production of dry cookies, calces, and pastries, the vanillin content ranges between 20 and 50 g per 100 kg of dough. Often, vanillin is added at the dry stage of dough preparation as the flour and sugar are being mixed. Tn fat-free recipes, it is possible to add and mix vanillin powder with eggs. 

Fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads and cereals contain carbohydrates. This is also true of cookies, cakes, and most other sweets, since both flour and sugar come from plants—flour from wheat, and sugar from sugar cane. Potatoes, beans, popcorn, and rice are other examples of foods with carbs. 

Arrowhead Mills I love their whole wheat pastry flour, which is finely ground with more nutrients than classic all-purpose flour. It has a lower gluten content than standard whole wheat flour, which means it provides a finer texture and a lighter consistency for cakes and cookies. This company also sells all kinds of alternative flours, such as spelt, barley, and oat, which I use for baking experiments, www. ar rowheadmills. com... 

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