Pro Tip: Understanding the complexity of flour functionality can help bakers better control variability, troubleshoot challenges and optimize product performance.

Cookies and crackers may appear similar at first glance — both are low-moisture baked products, primarily made from soft wheat flour. However, behind the scenes, the requirements for ingredient functionality, dough handling and baking performance are distinctly different. At the heart of these differences lies the critical role of flour and how its components interact within cookie and cracker systems.

One of the most consequential differences between cookie and cracker formulas is sugar concentration.

In general, cracker formulations contain less than 30% sugar, while cookie formulations exceed that threshold. This simple difference creates a very complex impact on dough behavior. Lower sugar levels in cracker doughs promote gluten development during mixing and sheeting. In fact, controlled gluten network formation is essential for achieving the structure, stack height and crispness desired in crackers. Stronger gluten systems enable the dough to retain gas during baking, contributing to a light and open crumb structure.

Conversely, cookie doughs formulated with higher sugar concentrations behave differently. The abundance of sugar acts as an anti-plasticizer during mixing and baking, limiting gluten development. This leads to cookies that spread laterally in the oven, with limited elasticity and tenderness in the final product. Additionally, high sugar levels delay starch gelatinization, pushing structural setting later into the baking process.

But flour functionality extends far beyond protein strength alone. In both cookies and crackers, damaged starch and water-soluble pentosans (arabinoxylans) play equally critical roles in flour performance. Damaged starch increases water absorption, affecting dough consistency and potentially interfering with the desirable spread of cookies or the crispness of crackers. Meanwhile, arabinoxylans can increase water-holding capacity, making doughs stiffer and more resistant to expansion or relaxation.

This is where the Solvent Retention Capacity (SRC) method offers a powerful advantage. Unlike traditional rheological tests that evaluate the dough system as a whole, SRC testing allows bakers and millers to evaluate the individual contribution of flour components. 

Lactic acid SRC provides insight into gluten strength, sodium carbonate SRC indicates damaged starch levels, and sucrose SRC reflects the presence of water-soluble pentosans. Water SRC, on the other hand, provides a combined view of flour's overall water-holding capacity.

For example, in cracker production, higher lactic acid SRC values are desirable because they correlate with stronger gluten — essential for structure and height during baking. However, high sodium carbonate or sucrose SRC values can signal challenges, indicating elevated levels of damaged starch or arabinoxylans that could compromise dough handling or increase baking time due to excessive water absorption.

In cookie production, the desired flour functionality often looks quite different. Lower lactic acid SRC values are preferred to avoid excessive gluten development, which can inhibit spread. Likewise, lower sodium carbonate and sucrose SRC values support a softer dough with good extensibility and predictable spread in the oven.

Beyond flour selection, processing variables remain crucial for achieving consistent product performance. Sugar particle size, for instance, affects dissolution rates during mixing, which directly impacts dough relaxation, spread, and even cookie diameter. Sheeting conditions, dough temperature and mixing time all work in tandem with flour properties to determine the final product's quality attributes — whether it’s the snap of a cracker or the spread of a cookie.

Ultimately, successful cookie and cracker production requires balancing art and science. Understanding the complexity of flour functionality — and using diagnostic tools like SRC testing — allows millers and bakers to better control variability, troubleshoot challenges and optimize product performance.

Flour is no longer just an ingredient; it is a highly functional component that drives quality, consistency and innovation in bakery products. As the demands of consumers evolve and processing environments become more sophisticated, having a deeper understanding of flour functionality will continue to be essential for success in the milling and baking industry.

Reference

Kweon, M., Slade, L., Levine, H. & Gannon, D. (2014). Cookie-Versus Cracker-Baking—What's the Difference? Flour Functionality Requirements Explored by SRC and Alveography. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 54(1), 115-138. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2011.578469

Dr. Senay Simsek, serving as the department head, professor and dean’s chair in food science at Purdue University, possesses a background in cereal science, technology and wheat quality. Her goal is to foster collaboration between producers, scientists and food processors, optimizing research potential in this area.