Gluten

the elastic network that gives bread its strength, structure, and irresistible chew.

Understanding Gluten

Gluten is a general term for a family of proteins typically found in wheat, rye, spelt, and barley.

It is primarily composed of two amino acid chains: gliadin (1/3) and glutenin (2/3). Gliadin is largely responsible for most health issues related to gluten, while glutenin is the key protein responsible for dough elasticity, forming what is known as the gluten network.

Gliadin in water creates a viscous liquid because its bonds are weak.
Glutenin in water forms a rubbery, low-extensibility texture that needs to be worked.

Here, the focus is on how the gluten network forms by examining the common behavior of glutenin.

How the Gluten Network Forms

Glutenin has a helical structure, and unlike other gluten proteins, it has a strong capacity to form stable bonds with similar molecules when in contact with water. These bonds occur when sulfur-containing ends of different glutenin molecules are in an oxidizing environment, forming strong sulfur-sulfur (disulfide) bonds.

However, simply hydrating the dough leads to a random formation of these bonds. Kneading plays a crucial role by:

Breaking existing bonds through mechanical force.
Aligning and stretching gluten molecules.
Forcing the formation of new bonds at the ends of the molecules.
Creating layers within the gluten network through folding, making it more complex, elastic, and stable.

Acidity and Gluten Strength

Acidity weakens gluten by increasing repulsive forces between gluten chains, reducing their ability to form strong bonds.

And What About Gluten-Free Bread?

Many would say there is no gluten-free bread, mentioning that to be classified as bread, it needs to take wheat in its composition, and therefore, existence of gluten.

As known, gluten is the most important protein for texture and quality in bread. To this day, developing gluten-free bread with characteristics similar to traditional bread remains a significant challenge as gluten-free breads typically lack elasticity and cohesiveness, but some alternatives have been adopted to modify functional attributes and improve texture.