Water Stress Leaves Its Mark on Wholemeal Bread Texture

Researchers from Romania have made an unexpected discovery about how water stress affects the texture of wholemeal bread. By examining wheat harvested in 2023-2024, a year marked by severe drought and high temperatures, they found that soil-water deficit during June had a significant impact on the firmness, cohesiveness, and gumminess of the finished loaf.

The team analyzed wheat from 13 Romanian counties and compared it to weather records, grain and flour characteristics, moisture, fungal contamination, and mycotoxins. They discovered that the texture of wholemeal bread can carry traces of conditions in the field months before it reaches the kitchen.

June soil-water conditions were found to be a stronger statistical signal than air temperature in determining the texture of the wheat. The researchers measured firmness using a texture analyzer, which compressed bread slices twice to measure force needed to squash the crumb. They also calculated gumminess by multiplying firmness by the crumb's ability to hold together.

The findings suggest that adjusting hydration and understanding how flour proteins behave could help bakers manage springiness, and that firmness and gumminess could help identify differences between breads made from different wheat batches.