Simulation of bread making process using a direct 3D numerical method at microscale: analysis of baking step

Abstract : The change of rheological and morphological properties of bread dough during the baking step is numerically studied on the base of the model derived for the proofing step in a previous paper. Starting from the numerical foam structure obtained after proofing, the baking step is calculated, taking into account the thermomechanical couplings and the impact of dough thermosetting. The results show the potentiality of the model to describe baking as a dough solidification by increase of temperature, what is accounted for by a kinetic law. Bubble size distribution in the dough volume can be estimated as function of applied thermal conditions. The order of magnitude of the calculated parameters is in qualitative agreement with experimental data from the literature, such as global volume increase (20%) and decreasing bubble radius from core to outer layers, i.e. from crumb to crust