I'm trying to make a low-glycemic bread. I've tried several keto recipes and also experimented -- I'm basically not happy with anything (too rubbery, too tall, too flat, weird taste, etc.). I've decided I need to understand the science (since bread-making is a science, after all!), but I can't find anything online that explains how to work with "vital wheat gluten" as one's dominent flour (i.e., e.g., mixed w/ oat fiber & flax). In regular wheat flour, kneading combines the two proteins gliadin and glutenin, forming strands of "gluten." Kneading warms the dough so the proteins expand during fermentation and bond. But is "vital wheat gluten" called "gluten" because the gliadin & glutenin are already bonded?? Does it need to be "developed"? Do I knead MORE or LESS or the SAME with this "gluten"? Thanks!
2 Answers
Vital wheat gluten is made by washing out the gluten of flour which has already been kneaded and hydrated. As such, the gluten in it should already be fully developed.
-
1That "recipe" you gave the link for gives me exactly the info I've been looking for FOREVER! Thank you so much!! Commented Feb 23 at 14:18
-
-
Oh, if this is the "right" answer for you, remember to select it. Commented Feb 24 at 2:26
-
I tried to! But I don't have enough "points" yet, or whatever they're called. I"ll keep trying. Commented Feb 24 at 18:23
-
If you asked the question, you can definitely select the answer. Commented Feb 25 at 20:28
There is nothing special to vital wheat gluten. When you mix it with a low-gluten or no-gluten flour, it acts pretty much as a flour which has had the gluten inside from the beginning. So, adjust your gluten percentage to what you want it to be - around 9% would be a good match for AP flour - and use it as normal, kneading the same as a normal wheat flour.
A side note: starch is a major contributor to the fluffiness of bread, while gluten on its own gives you a rubbery texture. So don't expect to mix gluten with a random keto powder and get a bread that's exactly like wheat bread. By tweaking the recipe - experimenting with different "filler" fibers, different gluten-to-fiber ratio, adding more or less fat - you'll likely get something interesting. Just don't be discouraged when your first attempt is far from perfect.
-
Thanks for answering! This isn't really what I was asking about, though. The info I can't find anywhere is about whether the two proteins gliadin and glutenin are already bonded in "vital wheat gluten" -- is that why it's called "gluten"? In that case, it would not need to be kneaded as much. The "flours" for many low-carb/low-glycemic breads are made with 50-75% VWG and then the remainder can be various things -- oat fiber, chickpea or almond flour, etc., i.e. things with zero gluten. So that's the kneading question: If VWG is most of my "flour," how much kneading does it need? Commented Feb 20 at 18:59