What Is Gluten?
About Gluten Science (and a note about gluten intolerance)
Before we begin I want to make…
A note about gluten intolerance: there are many factors that play into the inability of the average tummy to handle the average loaf of bread these days. The one people hear most about is—yup—gluten. Gluten has gotten bad press, even though it very well may be the culprit in many cases…but then so can…
The removal of bran and germ from the wheat kernel
The bleaching and enriching process
The other chemicals or processed ingredients (such as corn syrup or L-Cysteine) added to the final bread product
The overdependence upon wheat products as a diet staple
My point is this: if you find that your tummy does not react well to bread, you may want to be tested for celiac, which is a quantifiable condition that a doctor can determine. You may also want to consider something like the GAPS diet that eliminates grains for awhile to see if you can heal from your sensitivity. You may also want to consider a traditional whole foods diet such as put forth by Weston A. Price Foundation (which encourages the preparation of grains by soaking first to increase digestibility), and if you do keep grains in your diet then my biggest suggestion is to mill them at home yourself to get the maximum nutritional benefit from the wheat. Just please do not say “oh it must be gluten” simply because you have heard that gluten can cause problems. It might be that you can have your cake—and eat it too—if you learn other preparation methods or take time to heal first.
Gluten Has A Purpose
Every discussion about bread must begin with the wheat kernel. Every discussion about the wheat kernel must begin with the premise that it is first and foremost a seed. Wheat, like all other living things, seeks life. When we discuss the properties of bread or baked goods, it encompasses the scientific properties of something alive. Any seed has one goal, and that is to propagate life. So here is the question of the day: what is gluten and what does it do?
Gluten’s purpose is to store carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur with the end goal of leading the seed towards germination and growth. It’s a very complex strand of approximately 50 different components to create a main protein. When the proteins are dry they are disordered; they do not gain their elasticity quality until hydrated. When you read a label that says “high gluten flour” it is misleading in a strictly literal way—dry flour does not have gluten. Dry flour has proteins that become gluten when hydrated (Reinhart, 2002, p. 57). They really mean “potential gluten”. In fact, you—the baker—have a lot to do with whether that gluten will meet its full potential or not.
Is that not a nice spin on things? When someone asks what I did today, I am going to say:
“I helped my wheat berries achieve their fullest potential.”
The fact that it is a stretchy binder is just a side note. But as a bread baker, it is all about the side note for me! In fact, from my perspective as a baker, it is the wheat gluten that provides flavor and structure to the bread (low gluten bread tends to crumble). It is what makes the pasta sticky and what makes the bagel and pretzel chewy.
A note about gluten: Different types of grains possess varying amounts of gluten, but it doesn’t even stop there. The same field producing the same grain can vary in gluten content from year to year. It is why you want specific types of wheat for specific purposes, and why sometimes you cannot predict the difference in the dough after kneading it as you always have done.
How to Help Your Wheat Gluten Meet Its Full Potential
Soak your flour.
This is not just for protein match-making. It is true, they will find each other if you leave them alone (no Marvin Gaye tunes required). This is for some other unrelated health benefits too, such as reducing the phytic acid in your bread dough. Reduced phytic acid aids in the overall digestion of your bread. It is best to let your flour soak in water for about 15-20 minutes. Soaking your flour will help strengthen the gluten bonds and it will lighten your bread considerably, too. You will find that it gets a great rise!
Do not rush through the kneading process.
The whole point of kneading your bread dough is to organize your protein strands into wheat gluten. My living room might be messy, but my wheat proteins are in order today! The good news is that while it might take the better part of an hour to straighten up my living room, gluten takes an average of 12 minutes. This is fully dependant on how much dough you are kneading, how vigorously, and with how much moisture. The more you work that dough, the more elastic it becomes (within limits). If you have not taken on weekly bread baking because of fearing this very step, let me reassure you: I am in good company when I say that you can look forward to this time in your week, when your hands and arms and head are all working towards the same sweet goal. It is dough therapy.
Do the “windowpane test”.
If you soaked the flour before kneading, you probably did not need to punch the dough as vigorously or for as long. Either way, you can know it is ready by this age-old test that home bakers have just always known (not sure where it came from). Cut off a small piece of dough and stretch it. Stretch, pull, and get it as thin as you can. It should be nearly translucent (they say), but I settle for less because I am using home-milled flour which has a much thicker consistency anyway. For me, the key is seeing the elastic “threads” or strands of dough clearly.
Happy Bread Baking,
Chaya
Resources:
Reinhart, P (2002). The bread baker\’s apprentice, mastering the art of extraordinary bread. Ten Speed Pr.
Photo Credits:
All photos except one are the property of Pantry Paratus, all rights reserved.
Gluten free aisle: http://www.flickr.com/photos/whatshername/540926535/
Want to learn more about traditional ways of preparing food? Catch these great podcasts with guests who follow the Weston A. Price practices of nourishing foods.
Interview with Sarah Pope, The Healthy Home Economist
Interview with Sally Fallon Morell, President of the Weston A. Price Foundation
Interview with Kimberly Hartke, Hartke Is Online
Proviso:
Nothing in this blog constitutes medical advice. You should consult your own physician before making any dietary changes. Statements in this blog may or may not be congruent with current USDA or FDA guidance.