Baking Quality of Cookie Flour (AACC method 10-52, Micro Method)

Diameter and stack height of cookies baked according to this method are measured and used to evaluate flour baking quality. All data reported in this report were produced using the accepted method prior to December, 2008.

Cookie spread determined within a location is a reliable indicator of the source cultivar's genetic characteristics. However, cookie spread, unlike milling quality, is greatly influenced by environmental conditions. An absolute single value for cookie spread could be misleading. Within a location the single value is significantly important in comparison to known standards. The average cookie spread for three different examples of a cultivar is representative of that wheat.

Cultivars with larger cookie spreads tend to release moisture efficiently during the baking process due to lower water absorption while cultivars yielding smaller diameter cookies tend to be higher in water absorption and hold the moisture longer during baking.

The best single predictor of cookie diameter is sucrose SRC. The strong negative correlation of sucrose SRC to cookie diameter (r=-0.66, p<0.0001) has led to its adoption in lieu of baking cookies for most samples. The best prediction model for cookie diameter among grain samples milled on the Quadrumat advanced system uses a combination of sucrose SRC, softness equivalent, and flour protein (R2=0.61). These three measures are combined into the baking quality score used in Quad Micro milling with the baking quality score favoring lower sucrose SRC and flour protein and greater softness equivalent values.

Cultivars that possess excellent milling properties nearly always produce large diameter cookie spreads. Poor milling cultivars nearly always produce smaller cookie spreads. Cultivars that are very soft in granulation usually produce good cookie spreads.

AACC Method 10-52: Baking Quality of Cookie Flour - Micro Method

First Approval December, 2008 Meera Kweon, Research Food Technologist, Campbell Soup Corp

Objective

In North America, a "cookie" is a product similar to what is internationally known as a "biscuit". Cookie quality of flour is determined by the interaction among endogenous components of the flour and the ingredients in the mix. This method establishes a carefully controlled competition for water among the various components and ingredients, the results of which are manifest as differing cookie diameters. Larger diameter cookies are preferred and an indicator of good pastry-making and specifically cookie-baking potential. The method is also useful to evaluate other flour types, various flour treatments and other factors, such as ingredients, that affect cookie geometry.

Apparatus

1. National cookie dough micromixer, with head speed of 172 rpm and special cookie dough bowl.
2. Electric mixer, with timer control (Hobart or Kitchen-Aide), with paddle attachment.
3. Aluminum cookie sheet. See note 1.
4. Rolling pin, 5.7 - 7 cm (2.25 - 2.75 in.) diameter. If wood, check for wear to edges from use and replace if necessary.
5. Cookie cutter, 60 mm inside diameter.
6. Small plastic spatula, ground flat at end, with notch cut to fit cookie dough bowl and mixing head pins.
7. Thermometer and humidity meter / hygrometer. See note 2.
8. Baking oven, reel or rotary, electrically heated and capable of maintaining temperature of 205?C ? 2? (400?F ? 4?). See note 3.
9. Measuring calipers (large enough to measure 22 cm)

Reagents

1. Solution A. 0.95 M sodium bicarbonate (79.8 g dissolved in water to make 1L).
2. Solution B. 1.9 M ammonium chloride / 1.52 M sodium chloride (101.6 g and 88.8 g respectively, dissolved in water to make 1 L).
3. Sucrose. Any brand of "Baker's Special" sugar: sugar passing through a US No.30 sieve (595 ?m openings) only. Particle size affects solubility.
4. Shortening. Non-trans fat, vegetable shortening not containing methyl silicone of medium consistency (e.g. Crisco non-trans fat shortening).
5. Nonfat dry milk. To pass through a US No. 30 sieve (595 ?m openings).

Procedure

The total formulation amounts of each cookie pair are listed in Table 1.

1. Sift dry ingredients (sucrose, nonfat dry milk, dry sodium bicarbonate; Table 2 for sufficient creamed mass for different batch sizes, 21-46 cookie pairs; 37.60 g for each pair) together until well-mixed. Cream these ingredients together with shortening using Hobart or Kitchen-Aide mixer, using a paddle attachment, on low speed 1 min, then scrape bowl and paddle; on medium speed 1 min, then scrape; on high speed 30 sec, then scrape; and on high speed 30 sec. Weigh 37.60 g portions of this creamed mass for each cookie-pair to be baked.
2. Scrape measured creamed mass into cookie dough mixing bowl (National cookie dough micro-mixer, using a cookie dough bowl; head speed 172 rpm). Add water as shown in Tables 1 and 3 : add 4.0 mL solution A, 2.0 mL solution B, and additional water (use water amount in Table 3 for appropriate flour moisture; 8.7 mL total water per cookie pair). Mix 3 min (stopping mixer and scraping after first few sec if shortening is stuck on side of bowl) and scrape with small spatula.
3. Add 40 g flour (14% mb, weight per Table 3) to mixing bowl. Mix a total of 25 sec. as follows: Mix for the first 10 sec while tapping side of bowl. Scrape dough from mixer and bowl pins; scrape outer edge and bottom of bowl, pushing dough between pins several times. Mix 5 sec and scrape as just described. Mix 5 sec and scrape. Mix 5 sec and scrape mixer pins.
4. Gently scrape dough from bowl, gently form into a single dough mass and cut with spatula into two equal portions. Transfer to a room-temperature cookie sheet with gauge strips. Roll to thickness with one forward and one backward stroke of rolling pin. Cut dough with cookie cutter, discard excess dough, and remove cutter.
5. Immediately place in oven and bake for 10 min. Remove sheet from oven. Cool 5 min and remove cookies from baking sheet.
6. After cookies have cooled to room temperature (at least 30 min), measure cookie diameter using calipers, or image analysis. Lay two cookies edge-to-edge and measure width. Rotate one cookie 90?, the other 45?. Measure again. Rotate both cookies 90? and measure again. Repeat. Average the four readings and divide by two to obtain average diameter of one cookie.

Notes

1. Aluminum cookie sheets made of 3003-H14 aluminum alloy, 2.0 mm (0.08 in) thick, 30.5 X 40.6 cm (12 X 16 in) or 25.4 X 33.0 cm (10 X 13 in), or other sizes required to accommodate oven doors and shelves. Cookie sheets should be manufactured with gauge strips fastened to the long edges of the sheets (gauge strips made of the same alloy as the sheets, 7 mm (0.275 in) thick and the length of the baking sheets). New sheets should be conditioned by lightly greasing and placing in hot oven for 15 min, cooling, and repeating the process two or three times. Cookie sheets should have excess grease wiped off after each cookie pair is baked. Cookie sheets should be washed while warm in water (without use of soap or detergent) and wiped dry after each bake.
2. Dough consistency, stickiness and cookie spread are affected by temperature and humidity. Room and ingredient temperature and humidity should be maintained at constant level among bakes (21?C ? 1? (70?F ? 2?) and 30 - 50% are recommended, respectively). Consistent environmental conditions are more important in a lab than adherence to a particular level, within reason.
3. Oven should have a hearth consisting of ceramic-fiber-reinforced structural alumina refractory product (6.4 mm (0.25 in)) thick as shelf liner cut to dimensions of and placed on the steel baking shelf. Oven shelves consisting of wire mesh baking surface are also suitable and may not need shelf liner (to prevent excessive bottom browning).
4. For relatively consistent mixing action, recommended cream mass batch size is 21 - 46 units. Obtain amounts of sugar, nonfat dry milk, sodium bicarbonate and shortening from Table 1.
5. Oven should be heated to temperature with oven shelves turning. Bake "dummy" cookies out of scrap dough or extra flour to condition the oven before beginning a test bake, at the beginning of a baking series, or if the oven has not been used for 15 min or longer.

References

• Bettge, A.D. and Kweon, M. 2009. Report on collaborative testing of AACCI Method 10-52: Baking quality of cookie flour - micro method. Cereal Foods World.
• Finney, K.F., Yamazaki, W.T., and Morris, V.H. 1950. Effects of varying quantities of sugar, shortening and ammonium bicarbonate on the spreading and top grain of sugar-snap cookies. Cereal Chem. 27:30.
• Gaines, C.S. 1982. Influence of ambient temperature, humidity and flour moisture content on stickiness and consistency in sugar-snap cookie doughs. Cereal Chem. 59:507.
• Kissell, L.T., Marshall, D.B., and Yamazaki, W.T. 1971. Effect of variability in sugar granulation on the evaluation of flour cookie quality. Cereal Chem. 50:255.

Table 1. AACCI Method 10-52 Ingredient amounts per cookie pair

¹Based on moisture of flour, adjusted water was added (see Table 3)

Table 2. AACCI Method 10-52 Ingredient weights for batch preparation.

Ingredient weights (g) for preparing creamed mass for different batch sizes

Table 3. AACCI Method 10-52 Calculated amounts of flour and added water for cookie test formula.