Fats and Rise
Is there a minimum amount of oil, or other fat, necessary in whole grain bread to promote rise?
On page 129 of Reinhart’s new whole grain baking book he says: “Some studies indicate that it (oil) also may help trap CO2...” On page 389 of the Robertson whole grain baking book, she calls this the “conditioning amount” of fat. However, Robertson doesn’t use fat in every bread recipe. Neither writer’s comments seem conclusive. I don’t find this issue in either the King Arthur or the Greene whole grain baking books.
Baking911 says that fat prevents some gluten development. Using fat to promote rise seems counterintuitive to fat’s widespread use as a dough tenderizer.
Is there an authoritative explanation of fat’s enhancing rise? Have other bakers noticed that bread, especially whole wheat bread, needs fat for maximum rise?