The Effect of Inulin Addition on Rice Dough and Bread Characteristics

Inulin may be widely used in in the food industry due to its many health benefits. It has the potential to increase the insufficient nutritional quality of gluten-free bread. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the applicability of inulin in rice baking. The impact of added inulin (5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) on the dough’s rheological, bread’s textural and sensory characteristics was evaluated. The extensibility of rice dough during uniaxial deformation tests (8.5 mm) was improved by the added inulin (10.2–12.3 mm). The presence of inulin softened the dough and shifted the gelatinization temperature toward higher values. The added inulin also increased the loaf’s specific volume (1.16–1.48 mL/g), tenderized the breadcrumbs, increased the crumb porosity (36–58%), and generally improved the crumb structure. The panelists favored the sensory characteristics of breads with inulin. However, baking losses were increased in these breads as well (15.1–18.5%). The effect of the added inulin on the dough and bread characteristics generally rose with an increasing addition of inulin, reaching the maximum in samples with 30% inulin. The presence of 40% inulin deteriorated some characteristics of the bread. Therefore, the addition of up to 30% of inulin seemed to be optimal for rice bread.