| What is gluten? It’s a kind of protein found in | | | | The bread machine has made it popular to make |
| most grains like barley, wheat and rye. Most | | | | your own bread, and specialized bread flours with |
| breads, for example, contain gluten. There are | | | | extra gluten added have come on the market so |
| several grains that do not contain gluten, including | | | | that you’re sure of having a high gluten bread |
| corn, wild rice, quinoa, oats, millet and amaranth. | | | | produced, which makes it more chewy, fluffier, |
| The most common type of gluten encountered in | | | | and simply a better bread in general. |
| the American diet comes from wheat flour. Much | | | | You should note that because all-purpose flour has |
| of the gluten can be removed from wheat flour if | | | | had most of its gluten removed, it’s not |
| desired, but not all of it, no matter what you do. | | | | suitable for bread machine or breadmaking use. |
| This is especially important, for example, because | | | | However, whole-wheat flour has had none of its |
| today, many Americans are increasingly | | | | gluten removed, which makes it suitable for |
| developing gluten allergies, including a very serious | | | | breadmaking. In general, you do need plenty of |
| digestive disorder called celiac disease. Gluten-free | | | | gluten to make a good, chewy, fluffy loaf of |
| diets are also increasingly touted for their benefit | | | | bread that’s going to taste good and hold up |
| to children with autism, for example. | | | | well. |
| What does gluten do in bread? | | | | On gluten allergies: how is a gluten allergy handled? |
| Assuming you can have gluten and are not allergic | | | | Even though adding EXTRA gluten to bread may |
| to it, though, it’s very nutritious. It’s very | | | | be a good thing when you’re making bread, if |
| high in protein and very good for you, and it gives | | | | you have a gluten allergy, you must do exactly |
| bread its chewy texture. It also keeps the gases | | | | the opposite. And unfortunately, because gluten is |
| that are released during fermentation when bread | | | | in so many things these days, it can be very |
| is made (during the rising process) so that it | | | | difficult to handle a gluten allergy. The simple fact |
| becomes light and fluffy before it’s baked. | | | | is, though, if you are diagnosed with celiac disease, |
| Because it’s also very elastic, it helps keep its | | | | or if you have a child, for example, who is |
| shape so that bread can actually be formed into | | | | sensitive to gluten and wheat in other ways and |
| loaf shapes and isn’t simply a gluey lump. | | | | you think removing it from the diet would be |
| Wheat products are used in many different forms | | | | beneficial, this is something you’re going to |
| and are very versatile, and the gluten in flour is | | | | have to avoid. |
| what helps make it so. For example, flour can be | | | | Your task if you want to avoid gluten is to simply |
| kneaded together with other ingredients to make | | | | avoid all products with wheat in them, as well as |
| piecrusts, other types of dough such as pasta | | | | the grains rye and barley. It’s unfortunate |
| dough, and so on. This would be very difficult if | | | | that you’ll have to avoid these grains for the |
| not impossible to do were it not for the binding | | | | rest of your life, since celiac disease does not go |
| effects of gluten. | | | | away. However, it can be controlled if you avoid |
| Gluten is also very absorbent, which is why | | | | consuming these grains. |
| it’s useful in bread (for example, to sop up | | | | It used to be much more difficult to follow a |
| gravy with a piece of bread on a plate). And | | | | gluten-free diet than it is these days, because so |
| because gluten is so absorbent, it can be used as | | | | many people are either suffering from celiac |
| a special “meat substitute” for those on | | | | disease or think it’s a good idea to avoid |
| vegetarian diets. | | | | gluten in their diets for other reasons (i.e., such as |
| Click Here For Gluten Free Diets | | | | if a child suffers from autism). |
| Adding extra gluten to bread | | | | |