Effect of Pretreated Yellow Split Pea Flour Supplementation on Dough Rheology, Texture, Volatile Profile, and Sensory Attributes of Wheat Flour–Based Breads

Flours obtained from yellow split pea seeds, raw, roasted, or sprouted followed by freeze-drying or roasting were used for wheat flour substitution at 10% level in breadmaking, resulting in four fortified composite flour preparations, denoted as RAW10, ROAS10, SPR-LYO10, and SPR-ROAS10, respectively. The use of flour obtained after seed sprouting and subsequent freeze-drying negatively affected the dough’s rheological behavior, as reflected by a lower specific volume and adverse textural characteristics of the breads, as well as promoted bread staling. Instead, all other composite flour preparations resulted in physicochemical properties of the dough and the baked product similar to those of wheat bread. Analysis of the volatiles profile of bread crumb with headspace solid-phase microextraction technique (HS-SPME), coupled to GC–MS, revealed that the dominant groups of compounds, namely aldehydes and alcohols, were raised in the volatile fraction of RAW10 and SPR-LYO10, whereas SPR-ROAS10 was rich in pyrazines and ROAS10 profile was the closest to that of wheat bread. Quantitative descriptive analysis by a trained panel revealed the “beany” and “green-like” flavor notes as being dominant in RAW10 and SPR-LYO10 products, whereas the “roasted” flavor was intensified in the case of SPR-ROAS10 and ROAS10 breads. Consequently, the overall acceptability of the ROAS10 bread by consumers was high, probably due to the detection of low-intensity off-flavor notes, thus resembling more wheat bread. The research findings highlighted the possibility of using pretreated legume flours for wheat flour substitution towards the development of nutritionally enhanced breads with distinct flavor profiles.