The word “gluten” is the Latin word for glue. Gluten is a protein that gives elasticity to dough, helping it rise and Keep its shape. It often gives the final product a chewy texture. When bakers add water to wheat flour and begin to knead it into dough, two smaller Proteins—gliadin and glutenin—change shape and bind to each other, forming long, viscoelastic loops of what we call gluten. The more gluten in the flour, the more the dough will stretch, and the spongier it will be once baked.

The fruit of most flowering plants have endosperms with stored protein to nourish emBryonic plants during germination. True gluten, with gliadin and Glutenin, is limited to certain members of the grass family, including wheat, barley and rye. Gluten is important in breadmaking because it holds the carbon dioxide gas produced by the yeast that makes the bread rise, much like the rubber of a balloon holds air. The stronger the gluten, the more gas it can hold. Different flours contain different amounts of gluten.

A high-protEin flour will make a dough with strong gluten, which is good for hearty yeast breads. Pastry chefs prefer low protein flours with less gluten, for delicate, tender doughs. The flour from hard, red winter wheat grown by most Oklahoma wheat producers is a high-protein flour. The many whole grains that contain gluten offer special nutritional benefits. They are rich in an array of vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins and iron, as well as fiber. Studies show that whole grain foods, as part of a healthy diet, may help lower risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. The US Department of Agriculture’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that half of all carbohydrates in the diet come from whole grain products.