The Musculature of Bread
When I was a boy growing up in the Saskatchewan prairies, I spent my summers working on my grandparents' wheat farm. My grandfather would sometimes take me with him to the fields where I would sit with him in the combine and talk his ear off. Typically though, my summer jobs consisted of shoveling grain and roguing (picking weeds). Occasionally, while shoveling grain, my grandfather would toss a handful of grain into his mouth and chew it until it turned into bubble gum. I tried but never seemed to have the patience to develop a good gum. I later discovered that it was the fibrous, stringy protein found in wheat that was responsible for making the gum. When wheat flour is mixed with water and kneaded, it makes a very extensible and elastic substance much like bubble gum. Canadian wheat is uniquely high in protein, between 13% and 16%. Because of the high protein content making a dough that freezes better, survives mechanized intensive mixing processes and is more forgiving then "weaker" flours, Canadian flour is sought after by food producers around the world.
Proteins make up the most important and chemically complex naturally occurring organic compound. They vary greatly in function and structure. There is a huge field of science devoted to the study of proteins. Two types of proteins relevant to bread science are structural proteins and enzymes. For information on enzymes click here.
Wheat flour is unique among other grains in that it alone is capable of forming a dough that will retain gas during fermentation and, on baking, will yield a light, holey loaf. Structural fibrous proteins found in wheat absorb a massive amount of water, up to 300%. Because of this, it is important to know the protein content of your local flour, so that you can adjust the hydration of your bread formula.
During the mixing process, hydrated, stringy proteins are organized into strands known as gluten. This substance is elastic and very stretchy. Gluten is the actual substance made of proteins that imparts the property of gas retention to the dough.
Read more about the role of wheat protein bread click here.
Proteins make up the most important and chemically complex naturally occurring organic compound. They vary greatly in function and structure. There is a huge field of science devoted to the study of proteins. Two types of proteins relevant to bread science are structural proteins and enzymes. For information on enzymes click here.
Wheat flour is unique among other grains in that it alone is capable of forming a dough that will retain gas during fermentation and, on baking, will yield a light, holey loaf. Structural fibrous proteins found in wheat absorb a massive amount of water, up to 300%. Because of this, it is important to know the protein content of your local flour, so that you can adjust the hydration of your bread formula.
During the mixing process, hydrated, stringy proteins are organized into strands known as gluten. This substance is elastic and very stretchy. Gluten is the actual substance made of proteins that imparts the property of gas retention to the dough.
Read more about the role of wheat protein bread click here.
