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The Daily Insight

How does a farinograph work?

Author

James Craig

Updated on June 08, 2026

The farinograph is a recording dough mixer that measures and records the torque developed by the action of the mixer blades on the dough during mixing. It is used to estimate the water absorption of flours, the relative mixing time, the stability to overmixing, and rheological properties of the dough during mixing.

Herein, what does a farinograph measure?

In baking, a farinograph measures specific properties of flour. It was first developed and launched in 1928. The farinograph is a tool used for measuring the shear and viscosity of a mixture of flour and water.

Likewise, how do you calculate water absorption capacity of flour? Divide the weight of the water used by the weight of the flour used. The result is the absorption ability in percentage. For example: Weight of flour used 100 g (4 oz.)

Secondly, what is dough stability?

Notes: Development time is time taken for the dough to reach maximum resistance to mixing from the start of mixing. Stability is a measure of the tolerance of the flour to mixing.

Which flour absorbs more water?

Higher protein flour absorbs more water than lower protein flour. This means that a recipe that calls for bread flour may require more water than one that uses all-purpose flour. Stone ground flours absorb less water than conventionally ground flour.

Related Question Answers

What is the falling number test?

The falling number test is used to evaluate the amount of sprout damage in Canadian wheats. Alpha-amylase is an enzyme found in sprout-damaged wheat. If germination occurs there is a dramatic increase of this enzyme. The falling number is the time in seconds for a stirrer to fall through a hot slurry of ground wheat.

What is a Mixograph?

: a graphic chart that provides supplementary baking data on dough mixes from various wheats.

What is the characteristics of flour?

Flour is the main ingredient in cookie dough formulae and consists mainly of starch, water and protein. The most important components of the flour seem to be those that bind water, such as starch, protein and arabinoxylan, and thereby limit spreading of the cookie (Pareyt & Delcour, 2008).

How do you increase the extensibility of dough?

Yeast generates fermentation, fermentation generates acidity and acidity increases the strength of the dough. And, in general, autolyse is done to increase dough extensibility, therefore decreasing the strength of the dough. After the autolyse, yeast and salt are added to the dough.

What are the properties of dough?

What are Dough Handling Properties?
  • Extensibility.
  • Elasticity.
  • Resistance to deformation (tenacity)
  • Stickiness.

What happens if you mix water and flour?

When flour and water are mixed together, water molecules hydrate the gluten-forming proteins gliadin and glutenin, as well as damaged starch and the other ingredients. The hydration process is achieved when protein and starch molecules create hydrogen bonds and hydrophilic interactions with the water molecules.

How do you calculate water absorption rate?

It is calculated as the moisture content, which is equal to: (weight of the container with wet soil minus the weight of the container with dry soil) divided by (weight of the container with dry soil minus the weight of the container), then multiplied by 100 to express it as a percentage.

Does bread flour need more water?

This is because dough made with bread flour absorbs slightly more liquid (due to the flour's higher protein level), so it's stiffer; the resulting loaf rises upwards rather than outwards.

What is water absorption capacity?

Water absorption capacity (WAC) basically consists in the method for quantify the water retained by the pelleted material in the centrifuge tube after adding water or an aqueous solution to a material.

How much water does coconut flour absorb?

Coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid. For every 1 cup of coconut flour, use 6 eggs and 1 cup of liquid. 1 cup all-purpose flour = ΒΌ-1/3 cup coconut flour. Coconut flour can be baked at the same temperature as other recipes, no need for adjustment.

How much water do you put in dough?

For example, a recipe containing 1 1/4 cups of water (10 ounces) and 3 cups of all-purpose flour (15 ounces) will have a 67 percent (10/15 x 100 = 67) hydration level, indicating a moderately airy crumb. The percent hydration of dough can also be calculated according to its Baker's Percentage.

Do you add water to flour or flour to water?

If you are starting with the yeast in the flour (as is typical with dry yeast), then you should always start with the measured flour+yeast mixture and add water until ready.

How long does it take for flour to hydrate?

How Long Should you Autolyse For?
Type of Flour Ideal Autolyse Time
white bread flour 30 minutes to 3 hours
whole wheat flour 1 to 5 hours
rye flour no autolyse

What is the physical property of flour?

Both the physical and chemical characteristics of flours affect their quality and the subsequent products from them. Some of the quality factors are particle size, density, color, protein content, fat, flavor, moisture content, pasting characteristics, solubility and water absorption capacity.