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Originally Posted by Chembake
I'm confused about something. Why does fat and sugar in breads make them
more tender but in cookies make them more crispy? Seems backwards. I've
been reducing the fat and sugar content for hard rolls but they don't get
..hard. Am I going in the wrong direction?
There is no point in comparing the ingredient performance in some
different products due to the fact that the usage rate is also
different.
Bread dough structure is different from cookie dough
In the bread dough the flour is optimally hydrated but not in cookie
dough
In the bread dough the sugar comes into solution but not in the cookie
dough where its a large part of it is still intact admixed with
unhydrated flour.
What makes the cookie crispier is the presence of undissolved sugars
admixed with un hydrated flour which is loosely bound by the minimal
gluten formed from incomplete flour hydration.
Due to The lesser amount of moisture in cookies makes it dry faster
during the baking process promoting crispier texture
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Sugar in cookies, at least the sugar in 'crisp' cookies most definitely comes into solution. The sensation of a crisp cookie does not come from the sandy texture of undissolved sugar. The heat that crisp cookies are baked at is sufficient enough to dissolve the sugar, evaporate water and glass the sugar into an amorphous solid. It is this hard candy like solid that gives crispy cookies their texture.
The hydration of the flour doesn't play a role in the crispiness of cookies. If this was true than a dough left in the refrigerator overnight (i.e. fully hydrated) wouldn't be less crispy than a dough bake immediately. This is not the case.
A low water environment certainly plays a case in the glassing of the sugar solution, but it's enough water to hydrate the flour fully.