Baking with Protease

Proteases relax cracker dough by hydrolyzing gluten bonds, reducing or eliminating the tendency of the sheeted dough to pull back from the edges. This pulling back or shrinking causes an hourglass shape to the dough sheet. Different types of proteases are chosen for different types of doughs.

For example, in a no-time, chemically leavened cracker, a fast-acting protease like bromelain, which is derived from pineapple, can be used.A slower-acting protease—either neutral or alkaline—derived from B. subtilis is often chosen for an extended fermentation product like a soda cracker.