The importance of the soluble fraction in flour in determining the rheological properties of dough subjected to large deformations and its possible consequence for breadmaking performance was investigated by measuring shear and extensional viscosities of native wheat flour and reconstituted doughs using creep–recovery tests and lubricated squeezing flow tests. Standard French breadmaking wheat flour was fractionated into water-soluble and insoluble fractions. Flour defatting and puroindoline additions were also tested. The large strain properties of doughs made from these fractions were studied in shear and biaxial extension by creep–recovery and lubricated squeezing flow tests, respectively. Shear viscosity η exhibited a Newtonian plateau at low shear rate γ˙ and a shear thinning behaviour at higher γ˙ in the range 10 −6 –1s −1 . Apparent viscosity versus shear rate data could be fitted by Cross model. The results elucidated the lubricating role of the soluble fraction, and were confirmed by the bi-extensional test, although obtained over a narrower strain rate range (ε˙b=10−3−1s−1), for strain values in the range (0.1–1). The specific volume of bread was found to be inversely related to bi-extensional viscosity, whereas crumb fineness could be related to the strain hardening index, in agreement with gas retention and bubble growth phenomena during proofing.