Analyzing the Empirical Rheology, Processing, Physico‐Chemical, and Digestibility Characteristics of <i>Vigna umbellata</i> Incorporated Pizza Base

ABSTRACT Background Rice bean ( Vigna umbellata ), an underutilized legume rich in protein and dietary fiber and characterized by a low glycemic response, has been minimally explored in bakery applications. The present investigation evaluated the effects of replacing whole wheat flour (WWF) with rice bean flour ( V. umbellata ) (RBF) at incremental replacement levels (0%–40%) on the rheological characteristics of WWF, processing parameters of pizza base (PB), and their physical, textural, sensory, and nutritional properties. Results The research findings indicate that the incorporation of RBF led to a decrease in farinograph water absorption capacity (69.3%–68.2%), dough development time (4.8–4.3 min), and stability (2.7–1.2 min), extensograph resistance (308–115 BU), extensibility (104.6–83.4 mm) indicating significant alterations to viscoelasticity characteristics of the dough matrix. Physically, PB showed reductions in thickness, shear force, lightness, and yellowness values, alongside an increase in redness values with increasing RBF. Sensory evaluation revealed that crust color slightly darkened with RBF incorporation, and acceptable sensory attributes were maintained up to 30% RBF. The nutritional analysis demonstrated an increase in protein and dietary fiber content in the PB with RBF, the in vitro starch digestibility (34–27), and the estimated glycemic index (74–61) decreased with 30% RBF incorporation. The in vitro protein digestibility of the PB increased from 63 to 84. Conclusion The results indicate that PBs formulated with RBF, particularly up to 30% substitution, offer improved nutritional quality with acceptable sensory properties, making them a promising option for health‐conscious consumers.