Yeast strains with varying oven rise performance show distinct effects on dough gas cell stability and bread crumb structure

Yeast selection affects dough oven rise performance during bread baking, irrespective of fermentation performance, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated five Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with varying oven rise to assess their impact on dough gas cell stability, metabolite profiles and crumb structure. Fermentation was standardised to an endpoint of 400 mL CO₂ production to eliminate differences in gas production before baking. Image analysis revealed strain-dependent differences in crumb structure, showing that greater oven rise was associated with higher gas cell counts. Despite standardisation, strains exhibited distinct metabolite profiles. Additionally, differences in SDS-extractable gliadin were detected at specific baking stages. However, metabolite concentrations and gliadin extractability could not be directly linked to oven rise, highlighting complex yeast–dough interactions. Together, these results demonstrate that yeast strain choice influences oven rise, gas cell stabilisation and final crumb structure beyond CO₂ production alone, likely through effects on the gluten network.