There's pizza dough recipe which calls for vital wheat gluten and I can't find it anywhere in India. Is there any substitute for it? Can I use seitan as a substitute?
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1I have no experience but I found a couple of links that might help: ehow.com/list_6533668_vital-wheat-gluten-substitutes.html livestrong.com/article/…– CatijaMar 7, 2015 at 7:27
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none of the substitutes are available in India as shown in the links...– Megh GandhiMar 7, 2015 at 7:57
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1What type of flour does the recipe call for? One place said if it calls for AP flour, replace with bread flour, as it has more gluten.– CatijaMar 7, 2015 at 7:59
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2And as a last resort, could you just find a different recipe? There are hundreds of recipes for pizza dough out there.– CatijaMar 7, 2015 at 8:02
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3Commercial pizza doughs are usually more complicated than traditional ones. They are much more likely to use unusual chemicals.– CatijaMar 7, 2015 at 8:05
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5 Answers
No, there is no substitute for gluten, at all.
The gluten + soft flour combination is itself a substitute for bread flour, so if you can get bread flour, as Catija suggested, use it. If you can't, you need another recipe. Especially if your goal is to "not make it complicated", don't use substitutes. Substitutes are always complicated. The easy thing is to follow a recipe without making changes, and there are thousands of good recipes, so if you can't make one, choosing a different one is easier than looking for substitutes.
Seitan is not a substitute for gluten, even if you grind it up. In seitan, the gluten is already set, but you want it "raw" for making dough.
answered Mar 7, 2015 at 13:28
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In some countries, products like "Seitan Fix" are sold which are pure powdered wheat gluten... and the original poster might be referring to such a product. May 4, 2015 at 21:52
Try Xanthan Gum, but you will need to play with the quantity. 1/2 to 1 tsp should be good, depending on how thick you like your pizza crust. My friend has Celiac, and I find this works well in place of Vital Wheat Gluten.
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3This makes no sense. Xanthan gum is used to create a bread in gluten-free baking, but gives worse results than gluten in terms of texture. The OP is using a recipe which recommends adding vital wheat gluten to the dough, so he's definitely not baking gluten-free. And he is in a place where it's hard to get any additives. So why would he bother with xanthan?– rumtscho ♦Nov 8, 2015 at 14:40
Just use regular all purpose flour. Bread flour does produce a somewhat better rise but I made bread for years without it and it still rises well and tastes delicious.
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1"Regular all purpose flour" isn't a substitute for vital wheat gluten, which is meant to be added to the flour already being used. Apr 7, 2020 at 15:55
If you can use xanthan gum for baking bread there is no problem for pizza dough. I use it in my vegan meat products to get a stretchy texture. It works just like gluten. I use 1 tsp per 200gr flour. Collin.
General purpose flour contains about the lowest amount of protein where you bring out the gluten through the process of keading. I start with a small amount of flour mix and add water slowly until it flows like pancake batter. Whip this quickly for several minutes to bring out the gluten and form long stretchy bands within the mix, then add small quantities at a time the remaining flour mix. Resting the dough also helps form the gluten.
Semolina flour contains a good quantity of protein, is good tasting, and firm. A combination of semolina and general purpose flour will provide the protein/gluten needed.
