NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA (UKM)

FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCE

SEMESTER II SESSION 2022/2023

NNND1024 PRINSIP PENYEDIAAN MAKANAN

LAB REPORT 2

TITLE:
FLOUR AND FLOUR MIXTURES

EXPERIMENT:
PIZZA MAKING

GROUP: N3

NAME MATRIC NO.

TEE XIAN LIANG A193497

AINA MAISARAH BINTI ADIRATNO A193480

NOORUL NAJWA AMNI BINTI MOHD NAZRI A193483

LECTURER: DR. HASLINA BINTI ABDUL HAMID

Introduction
In general, there are several types of flour used for pizza making: all-purpose flour, bread
flour, and pastry flour. Each type of flour may be used to create different kinds of pizza with
different texture as each of them has distinctive flavour and texture. All purpose flour, which has
the properties of mid-strength and medium-gluten, is the most common type of flour used for
baking everything from pizza doughs and crusty breads to pie crusts, cakes, cookies and
pancakes. Bread flour on the other hand, is a high protein content flour that is composed of
between 12% and 14% of protein that is used for baking yeasted breads. Besides, bread flour
consists of more gluten because of its high protein content, and it differs from other types of
flour as it requires higher strength of kneading to develop a good gluten structure, which results
in airy and chewy texture. In comparison of cake flour with all purpose flour, cake flour typically
has a lower protein content and is a light, finely milled flour. Moreover, cake flour is milled from
soft wheat and it has the least amount of protein content, around 6 to 8% when compared to other
types of flour. Pastry flour, on the other hand, has a protein content slightly higher than the cake
flour, which is around 9%. This means that pastry flour is slightly stronger than the cake flour
due to the higher level of gluten. Also, pastry flour has slightly more off-white colour than cake
flour and it is used for making biscuits, muffins, cookies etc. Generally speaking, whole wheat
flour is used for making heavier bread, and baked goods and it has a shorter shelf life than the all
purpose flour. It is often mixed with all purpose flour as the combination of both flours results in
baked goods with lighter texture and better raising. Whole wheat flour can be categorized into 2
types: 100% whole wheat flour and white wheat flour. Self-rising flour is a type of flour that is
made from the combination of baking powder, all purpose flour and salt. In other words, it is an
ordinary all purpose flour with baking powder and salt added to it. It is important to choose the
suitable flour for pizza making so as to produce a consistent and tasty pizza dough.
There are many factors which contribute to the different thickness of pizza crust such as
type of flour used, amount of water and yeast added, amount of time given for the dough to rise,
kneading method, and the weight of toppings. For instance, different types of flour have different
content of protein as well as gluten level, which will influence the elasticity and strength of the
dough. In addition to this, the texture of the dough also depends on the degree of kneading.
Different types of flour have their own degree of kneading in order to produce and maximize the
quality of texture of dough. In this report, 5 different types of flour such as all purpose flour,
bread flour, cake flour, whole wheat flour and self-rising flour are used for pizza making in order
to investigate how the different types of flour affect the texture of pizza.
Objectives
1. To observe differences in texture of finished baked products using a variety types of flour
such as All purpose flour, cake flour, bread flour, 50% whole wheat flour, and gluten
free-flour.
2. To compare the process of the formation of gluten in dough kneading and the effects of
types of flour.
Method
1. Sugar was first mixed into warm water, followed by the yeast. The mixture was stirred
and let it rest for 5 minutes.

2. The flour was then sifted into a bowl, mixed and added with salt.
3. A hole is made in the middle of the flour, then poured with oil and mixed with yeast
mixture.

4. The mixture was then shaped into a ball, once it was all thoroughly mixed together. The
dough was allowed to rest for 5 minutes.

5. A table with a clean surface was sprinkled with flour, and with some rubbed on the palm
hand . The ball of pizza dough was then placed on the table.
6. Dominant hand was used to place the heel on top of the dough on the nearest side. While
pressing down, the dough was pushed away from the kneader to stretch it. This creates
tension and helps to build strength in the gluten strands as it is kneaded.

7. Folded the dough back over and repeat the pressing and stretching once it has been
stretched. Repeat as this was the basic kneading move.

8. The dough is kneaded continuously until it is smooth and elastic. This means that the
gluten is building longer protein chains and strengthening from kneading. The time for
achieving this stage was recorded. It takes around 8 to 10 minutes for the dough to no
longer be sticky to the hands of the kneader.
9. The bowl was rubbed with some of the oil and the kneaded dough was put in it. Then, a
little bit more of oil was rubbed on top and all over the dough.
10. The bowl was then covered with a plastic wrap and the dough was left for 30 minutes in a
warm place.
11. After 30 minutes, the dough was punched, and divided into 2 parts.
12. Next, the oven is being heated at about 220℃.

13. Small amount of flour was sprinkled on the pizza pan or baking paper to ensure that the
pizza can be shaped effectively. The pizza dough was placed on top and pressed outward
gently with hands, turning it to create a circle.

14. As the dough begins to spring back, it is being lifted up and draped over the knuckles of
the kneader. The dough was stretched and rotated over fingers to stretch it out larger.
15. The pizza crust was returned to the parchment paper and shaped to make sure that it is in
the form of a circle, with the edges being slightly thicker.

16. The pizza crust was then decorated with different ingredients and toppings according to
personal preference.

17. After that, the pizza crust was baked at 220℃ for 15-20 minutes.
Results
Observation
1. Compare the crumbs (size of the air bubbles) of your pizza to other types of flour used.
2. Compare the size/thickness of your pizza to other types of flour used.
3. Compare if there are any differences in texture (chewy, soft, hard etc) of pizzas from
different flour types.

Type of flour Texture Volume Size of cells Kneading time

(hard/soft/chewy/ (thickness) (crumbs)
crispy etc)

A. All-purpose Balanced texture, Moderately Small to 10 minutes

flour moderate thick medium size
chewiness with
slightly crispy
crust.

B. Bread flour chewy Very thick Large and more 10 minutes

defined air
pockets in the
crust.

C. Cake flour Light texture, Very thin Small, tender 15 - 20 minutes

soft, tender crust, crumb structure
and non-chewy with small air
pockets in the
crust.

D. 50% Whole Dense, dry, firm, thin Small and 9 - 10 minutes

wheat flour and grainy dense crumb
structure

E. Self-rising Light and fluffy Slightly thick Large 10 - 15 minutes

flour texture
Discussion
In this experiment, there were various types of flour used for pizza making such as
all-purpose flour, bread flour, cake flour, 50% whole wheat flour and self-rising flour. Different
types of flour were used to investigate how the type of flour affects the appearance, texture and
size of cells (crumbs) of baked pizza. In the experiment, the type of flour that was used for pizza
making by our group was the mixture of 50% wholewheat flour and all-purpose flour.
In comparison of the texture for the 5 different types of flour, it can be clearly seen that
the texture of pizza made from 50% wholewheat flour was grainy, dense, dry, firm with obvious
chewiness of the crust while the texture of pizza made from bread flour was very chewy. This
happens as bread flour is known for its high content of protein, the higher protein content which
means it has high gluten level that results in a stronger gluten network when the dough is being
kneaded. This strong network of gluten results in high elasticity of bread flour dough, which then
translates into chewier structure in the final crust. Besides, the texture of pizza made from
all-purpose flour was moderately chewy, with a slightly crispy crust while the texture of pizza
made from cake flour was light in texture, non-chewy with soft and tender crust. For self-rising
flour, the pizza has light and fluffy texture with non-chewy characteristics. In short, different
types of flour used for pizza making created different texture and chewiness of the pizza. This
happens as there are differences in protein content, as well as the gluten level in the flour itself.
Flours with higher protein content such as bread flour, all-purpose flour creates pizza with high
degree of chewiness and are dense in structure due to the presence of the strong gluten network
as the dough is kneaded. In contrast, flours with low protein content such as cake flour makes
pizza that has light texture, soft and tender crust with non-chewy characteristics. Also, the
texture and chewiness of pizzas made from different types of flour is mainly, but not only, due to
the protein content in the flour itself, but also the ways and time period of kneading and baking,
and also the quantity of water and yeast added.
In comparison of volume (thickness) for the 5 different types of flour, it can be concluded
that the thickness of pizzas made from the 5 types of flours can be arranged in ascending order:
cake flour, 50% wholewheat flour, all-purpose flour, self-rising flour, and lastly the bread flour.
The thickness of pizzas made from cake flour, all-purpose flour, self-rising flour and bread flour
were very thin, thin, slightly thick, moderately thick and very thick respectively. In general, there
are no fixed results regarding the thickness of pizzas made from the 5 different types of flour.
However, the thickness of the pizza basically depends on the type of flour used with different
content of protein, quantity of water and yeast added, ways to handle the dough, baking time, and
also the temperature of baking.
In comparison of the size of cells (crumbs) of pizza for the 5 different types of flour, it
can be concluded that the pizzas made from different types of flour have different size of cells
(crumbs). Firstly, the size of cells (crumbs) of pizza made from 50% wholewheat flour are small,
and have a dense crumb structure whereas the size of cells (crumbs) of pizza made from cake
flour are small, and have a tender crumb structure with small air pockets in the crust. Apart from
that, the size of cells (crumbs) of pizza made from all-purpose flour have different sizes that
range from small to medium while for the size of cells (crumbs) of pizza made from self-rising
flour are large in size. Lastly, the size of cells (crumbs) of pizza made from bread flour are large
in size and have more defined air pockets in the crust. Again, the difference in size of cells of
pizzas made from different types of flour are caused by the common factors such as type of flour
used, hydration level, time of fermentation, and also amount of yeast added.
In comparison of kneading time for 5 different types of flours used for pizza making, it
can be seen that cake flour took the longest time period for kneading, around 15 to 20 minutes,
followed by self-rising flour which took around 10 to 15 minutes, all-purpose flour and bread
flour which took approximately 10 minutes to complete kneading, and lastly the 50%
wholewheat flour which took the shortest time period for kneading, which was around 9 to 10
minutes. In fact, the time of kneading varies for different types of flour used. In general, there is
fixed kneading time for each particular flour to maximize the texture and flavour of the dough.
Kneading helps trigger the development of the gluten network in the dough. The longer the
kneading time, the stronger and more extensive the network of gluten in the dough, and the more
elastic the dough. In short, it is crucial to follow the guidelines for kneading time for each type of
flour as to produce pizzas with great elasticity, texture and other desirable characteristics.
Post-lab discussion: Discuss your results and include the following questions.
1. What are the average gluten content (in theory) of the different types of flour that
you observed in this lab?
In general, different types of flour have their own gluten content as well as the protein
content. In this experiment, 5 different types of flour were used such as all-purpose flour,
bread flour, cake flour, 50% wholewheat flour and self-rising flour. According to this
experiment, it can be predicted that the average gluten content of all-purpose flour is
around 12% whereas for bread flour is around 13 to 14%. Besides, cake flour has the
average gluten content of 6 to 8% while for the self-rising flour is around 9 to 10%.
Lastly, the average gluten content for the 50% wholewheat is approximately 11 to 15%.
The average gluten content mentioned above for each specific type of flour are the ones
that are most commonly used. However, there is no fixed value for average content of
gluten of each particular type of flour as the average gluten content for each specific type
of flour may vary depending on the brand used.

2. How is the level of gluten content makes a different in terms of texture, volume and
crumbs appearances in this pizza making process?
According to the process of pizza making, it can be clearly seen that the different levels
of gluten content in each different type of flour play a vital role in contributing to the
difference in terms of texture, volume, and crumbs appearances of pizza. In terms of
texture, the high level of gluten content controls the structure and makes the dough more
elastic. In addition to this, the longer the kneading time, the stronger and the more the
network of gluten strands are developed in the dough, making the pizza more chewy and
providing a satisfying “bite” for the pizza. In terms of volume, different levels of gluten
content influences the ability of the dough to trap and retain gus during fermentation. For
instance, bread flour with high levels of gluten content promotes strong development of
gluten strands, which results in an increased retention of gas. As a result, pizza which is
made by using the bread flour has higher rise and thicker volume in the crust, giving rise
to a plumper and puffier pizza. In contrast, flour with low levels of gluten content such as
cake flour produces a thinner and less volume of pizza’s crust as a result of low gas
retention. In terms of crumb appearances, it can be concluded that a high level gluten
 content of flour such as bread flour produces a more open and irregular crumb structure
with large and more defined air pockets. This happens as bread flour has a high amount
of gluten-forming proteins. When the proteins are added with water and developed
through kneading, a strong and elastic network of gluten is thus created. This allows
better retention of gas during fermentation, producing more obvious and airy crumb
structure. In short, the difference in terms of texture, volume and crumbs appearances in
this pizza making process is mainly caused by the different levels of gluten content in the
flour, which is closely related to the kneading method and kneading time.

3. How do you think kneading helps in forming the gluten? Which flours needed the
longest and shortest time to reach the stage of elasticity and smooth? Why is that?
Kneading speeds up gluten formation by allowing the protein molecules to produce
healthy and stronger gluten strands. Kneading which involves pushing, stretching and
folding motion resulting in air bubbles trapped in small pockets leading to an elastic mass
of a dough. Cake flour takes the longest time while bread flour takes the shortest time to
reach the stage of elasticity and smooth. Cake flour has the least percentage of protein
concentration compared to bread flour. The amount of protein concentration will affect
the formation of gluten which are important in creating the elasticity and plasticity in the
dough.

4. Which types of flour do you think make the best pizza and why?
In this experiment, we strongly think that bread flour is the best type of flour used to
make the best pizza. This is because bread flour has the right amount of gluten content
among the 5 different types of flour, which allows the pizza dough to be easily kneaded
and rises, thus providing a chewy texture and more satisfying bite for the sensory
panelists. Thus, it can be concluded that bread flour is the best type of flour used to make
the best pizza according to this experiment.
Conclusion
In short, it can be concluded that pizzas made from different types of flour have different
texture, volume (thickness), size of cells (crumbs) and time of kneading. There are no specific
single factor which contribute to the different in the texture, volume, size of cells and kneading
time in pizza making, as the difference in the characteristic and properties of pizzas is due to the
combination of many factors such as type of flour used, quantity of water and yeast added,
fermentation time, kneading methods, baking and kneading time period, and also the temperature
of baking.

References
Alfaro, D. (2023, January 18). A Guide to Different Types of Wheat Flour. The Spruce Eats.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-flour-995124

How To Bake: Five Factors To Get Your Bread To Rise. (n.d.). FoodReference.com.

https://www.foodreference.com/html/bread-rising-729.html

Prakash, S. (2021, February 19). The Best Flour for Homemade Pizza Dough. Simply Recipes.

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/the-best-flour-for-homemade-pizza-dough-5112947

Appendices

Figure 1: Baked pizza

Figure 2: Baked pizza that were sliced into pieces

Figure 3: Baked Pizza made from different types of flour for the purpose of sensory
evaluation of texture, volume (thickness), and size of cells (crumbs)