Gluten

Gluten is a network of proteins that forms when wheat flour is mixed with water. Two proteins in the flour, glutenin and gliadin, link together into stretchy, elastic strands. Gluten traps gas in dough, which lets bread rise and gives it a chewy crumb. Rye and barley contain related proteins and are also unsafe for people with celiac disease.

How to tell it is done

In bread dough, well-developed gluten makes the dough smooth, springy and slightly tacky. The windowpane test checks it: stretch a small piece thin. If it turns see-through without tearing, the gluten is strong.

Why it works

When water hydrates the flour, the proteins unfold and begin to bond. Kneading or folding lines them up into long sheets. Salt tightens the network, and resting lets it relax so dough is easier to shape. Gas from yeast or steam inflates these sheets like small balloons.

How to use it

Control gluten by choosing your flour and how much you work it.

• More gluten, for bread and pizza: use high-protein bread flour, knead well, and give the dough time. An autolyse, resting flour and water before kneading, lets gluten form with less work.
• Less gluten, for cakes, muffins and pastry: use lower-protein cake or all-purpose flour, mix only until combined, and keep pastry cold. Fat and sugar coat the flour and limit gluten.

Common mistakes

• Overmixing muffin or pancake batter, which makes them tough and full of tunnels.
• Rolling pie dough too much, so it shrinks and turns hard.
• Under-kneading bread, which gives a dense loaf that does not hold its shape.
• Fighting a dough that keeps springing back. Cover it and rest it for 10 to 20 minutes, then try again.

In recipes

"Develop the gluten" means knead or fold the dough. "Do not overmix" means avoid building gluten. A gluten-free recipe uses other flours plus binders such as xanthan gum or psyllium.