Gluten, << GLOOT uhn, >> is the substance in flour that gives dough both elastic qualities and properties of a thick fluid. Gluten forms and develops when flour is mixed with water and the dough is kneaded. When yeast is added to dough, it produces carbon dioxide gas. The gluten stretches and holds in this gas, allowing the dough to rise. The word gluten comes from a Latin word meaning glue. The term is used most often in reference to wheat flour, but gluten also occurs in rye, barley, and certain other cereal flours.
In wheat flour, gluten consists chiefly of two proteins, gliadins and glutenins, in roughly equal proportions. Glutenins are much larger than gliadins. The higher the proportion of glutenins to gliadins, the stronger the gluten. In other cereal flours, gluten consists of other proteins. Commercial bread bakers often add gluten to dough to increase the dough’s strength or to increase the protein content of bread.
People who have a digestive disorder called celiac disease cannot tolerate the gluten in such grains as barley, rye, and wheat. Celiac disease damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. Some manufacturers produce gluten-free breads and other food products.
See also Celiac disease ; Flour (Types of flour) ; Yeast (How yeast is used) .
