Masszaérzet

Masszaérzet, a Hungarian term meaning "dough/paste feel," refers to the perceived textural quality of a dough, batter, or paste as it is handled and consumed. It combines sensory impressions with underlying rheological properties, including elasticity, extensibility, cohesiveness, stickiness, and smoothness. In practice, masszaérzet describes how the mass behaves in the hand during mixing and kneading, as well as its behavior when tasted or chewed.

The concept is used in culinary science, baking, pastry, and pasta making to characterize and control product quality. It depends on multiple factors: flour protein content and gluten development, hydration level, fat and sugar content, salt, enzymes, leavening, temperature, resting time, and the extent of mixing or kneading. Add-ins such as seeds, fibers, or flavorings also alter masszaérzet.

Assessing masszaérzet can be sensory, relying on trained tasters to describe stickiness, tackiness, elasticity, and mouthfeel. Instrumental methods complements sensory evaluation, including rheological measurements (storage and loss moduli), texture analysis, and farinographic or consistographic testing to relate formulation to handling and bake structure.

Relevance and applications include optimizing dough handling, fermentation behavior, crumb structure, and final mouthfeel for products like bread, pizza dough, pastries, and pasta dough. Chefs and food scientists aim for a targeted masszaérzet to achieve consistent quality and desirable eating experience.