Pita bread can be made with bean flour

Winnipeg, Man. – Canadian researchers at the University of Manitoba have found that pita breads can be made with pulse flours.

In a study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, the researchers found that navy and pinto beans are the best suited when making pita breads with pulse flours instead of wheat, reports BakeryandSnacks.com.

But the substitute must be minimized to 25 per cent if the quality of the pita is to be maintained.

The study looked at replacing regular wheat flour with pulse fours milled from green lentils, navy beans and pinto beans.

The aim of the study was to determine:

• which would be the most suitable pulse flour for wheat flour substitution;
• what would be the optimum level of incorporation of the pulse flours; and
• what effect particle size would have on product quality.

The study found that overall navy and pinto beans were best suited for pita bread, reports BakeryandSnacks.com.

When the pitas were made with 25 per cent pinto or navy bean coarse flour in substitution, sensory parameters remained as good as or better than the end products containing just wheat flour.

For the study, control pitas were made using 100 per cent wheat flour and then pitas were substituted with 25 per cent, 65 per cent and 100 per cent pulse flours, reports BakeryandSnacks.com.

Eighty panelists evaluated aroma, appearance, colour, flavour, texture and overall acceptability using a likeability scale. The researchers also conducted a statistical analysis to determine the effects flour type, flour particle size and the level of substitution had.

The advantage of using pulses is that they are high in protein and also fibrous and contain vitamins and minerals. When combined with cereal proteins in a diet the human body has an improved amino acid score, reports the study.