Under what conditions would one use "Vital Wheat Gluten" in a bread recipe?
I haven't looked at bunches of recipes, but I've never seen one that used
this ingredient.

TIA
Raj

Raj V wrote:

Under what conditions would one use "Vital Wheat Gluten" in a bread recipe?
I haven't looked at bunches of recipes, but I've never seen one that used
this ingredient.

TIA
Raj



Another name for vital wheat gluten is "gluten flour." It is important
to understand that this is different from "high-gluten flour." The
latter is bread flour with a high protein content of the right sort to
produce more gluten than typical bread flours when it is made up into a
dough. Gluten flour, or vital wheat gluten, is an additive used in small
quantities.

Gluten flour is made by mixing flour with water to make a dough and then
washing away the starch and drying and grinding what's left. There is
also a more modern process that accomplishes the same thing.

Gluten flour is added to doughs to give the baked goods more volume and
a lighter texture. For example, if you want to make a commercial whole
wheat bread (nominally made with 100% whole wheat flour) and have it be
as light and fluffy as Wonder Bread, you are allowed to add up to 2%
gluten flour. Another place it is used is in Kaiser Rolls (the real New
York ones, not the star-imprinted soft rolls that you see in most of the
country). These have a fragile, flaky crust and an airy crumb.

A lot of amateur bakers try to compensate for their difficulty in
properly developing the gluten in a dough by adding some vital wheat
gluten (gluten flour). Mostly, this is a cop-out. It's preferable to
learn better technique, instead. However, you do sometimes see recipes
for heavy multi-grain breads that call for a little gluten flour to help
compensate for all the non-gluten-forming flours that are used. This
undeniably helps the dough hold together and makes for a somewhat
lighter, tastier bread.

Raj V wrote:

Under what conditions would one use "Vital Wheat Gluten" in a bread recipe?
I haven't looked at bunches of recipes, but I've never seen one that used
this ingredient.

TIA
Raj



Another name for vital wheat gluten is "gluten flour." It is important
to understand that this is different from "high-gluten flour." The
latter is bread flour with a high protein content of the right sort to
produce more gluten than typical bread flours when it is made up into a
dough. Gluten flour, or vital wheat gluten, is an additive used in small
quantities.

Gluten flour is made by mixing flour with water to make a dough and then
washing away the starch and drying and grinding what's left. There is
also a more modern process that accomplishes the same thing.

Gluten flour is added to doughs to give the baked goods more volume and
a lighter texture. For example, if you want to make a commercial whole
wheat bread (nominally made with 100% whole wheat flour) and have it be
as light and fluffy as Wonder Bread, you are allowed to add up to 2%
gluten flour. Another place it is used is in Kaiser Rolls (the real New
York ones, not the star-imprinted soft rolls that you see in most of the
country). These have a fragile, flaky crust and an airy crumb.

A lot of amateur bakers try to compensate for their difficulty in
properly developing the gluten in a dough by adding some vital wheat
gluten (gluten flour). Mostly, this is a cop-out. It's preferable to
learn better technique, instead. However, you do sometimes see recipes
for heavy multi-grain breads that call for a little gluten flour to help
compensate for all the non-gluten-forming flours that are used. This
undeniably helps the dough hold together and makes for a somewhat
lighter, tastier bread.

On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 15:14:54 -0500, Dick Margulis
wrote:



Raj V wrote:

Under what conditions would one use "Vital Wheat Gluten" in a bread recipe?
I haven't looked at bunches of recipes, but I've never seen one that used
this ingredient.

TIA
Raj



Another name for vital wheat gluten is "gluten flour." It is important
to understand that this is different from "high-gluten flour." The
latter is bread flour with a high protein content of the right sort to
produce more gluten than typical bread flours when it is made up into a
dough. Gluten flour, or vital wheat gluten, is an additive used in small
quantities.

Gluten flour is made by mixing flour with water to make a dough and then
washing away the starch and drying and grinding what's left. There is
also a more modern process that accomplishes the same thing.

Gluten flour is added to doughs to give the baked goods more volume and
a lighter texture. For example, if you want to make a commercial whole
wheat bread (nominally made with 100% whole wheat flour) and have it be
as light and fluffy as Wonder Bread, you are allowed to add up to 2%
gluten flour. Another place it is used is in Kaiser Rolls (the real New
York ones, not the star-imprinted soft rolls that you see in most of the
country). These have a fragile, flaky crust and an airy crumb.

A lot of amateur bakers try to compensate for their difficulty in
properly developing the gluten in a dough by adding some vital wheat
gluten (gluten flour). Mostly, this is a cop-out. It's preferable to
learn better technique, instead. However, you do sometimes see recipes
for heavy multi-grain breads that call for a little gluten flour to help
compensate for all the non-gluten-forming flours that are used. This
undeniably helps the dough hold together and makes for a somewhat
lighter, tastier bread.

Very helpful and informative post, Dick. As a beginner, these kinds of
informative comments are encouraging. Thanks.


--
Hitachi HB-A101 bread machine, 1 pound
Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com
(01/10/05)

On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 15:14:54 -0500, Dick Margulis
wrote:



Raj V wrote:

Under what conditions would one use "Vital Wheat Gluten" in a bread recipe?
I haven't looked at bunches of recipes, but I've never seen one that used
this ingredient.

TIA
Raj



Another name for vital wheat gluten is "gluten flour." It is important
to understand that this is different from "high-gluten flour." The
latter is bread flour with a high protein content of the right sort to
produce more gluten than typical bread flours when it is made up into a
dough. Gluten flour, or vital wheat gluten, is an additive used in small
quantities.

Gluten flour is made by mixing flour with water to make a dough and then
washing away the starch and drying and grinding what's left. There is
also a more modern process that accomplishes the same thing.

Gluten flour is added to doughs to give the baked goods more volume and
a lighter texture. For example, if you want to make a commercial whole
wheat bread (nominally made with 100% whole wheat flour) and have it be
as light and fluffy as Wonder Bread, you are allowed to add up to 2%
gluten flour. Another place it is used is in Kaiser Rolls (the real New
York ones, not the star-imprinted soft rolls that you see in most of the
country). These have a fragile, flaky crust and an airy crumb.

A lot of amateur bakers try to compensate for their difficulty in
properly developing the gluten in a dough by adding some vital wheat
gluten (gluten flour). Mostly, this is a cop-out. It's preferable to
learn better technique, instead. However, you do sometimes see recipes
for heavy multi-grain breads that call for a little gluten flour to help
compensate for all the non-gluten-forming flours that are used. This
undeniably helps the dough hold together and makes for a somewhat
lighter, tastier bread.

Very helpful and informative post, Dick. As a beginner, these kinds of
informative comments are encouraging. Thanks.


--
Hitachi HB-A101 bread machine, 1 pound
Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com
(01/10/05)

Far as I can tell, someone wrote:
Another name for vital wheat gluten is...

Good info. Thanks for passing that around.

Dick Margulis wrote:



Raj V wrote:

Under what conditions would one use "Vital Wheat Gluten" in a bread
recipe?
I haven't looked at bunches of recipes, but I've never seen one that used
this ingredient.

TIA
Raj



Another name for vital wheat gluten is "gluten flour." It is important
to understand that this is different from "high-gluten flour." The
latter is bread flour with a high protein content of the right sort to
produce more gluten than typical bread flours when it is made up into a
dough. Gluten flour, or vital wheat gluten, is an additive used in small
quantities.

Gluten flour is made by mixing flour with water to make a dough and then
washing away the starch and drying and grinding what's left. There is
also a more modern process that accomplishes the same thing.

Gluten flour is added to doughs to give the baked goods more volume and
a lighter texture. For example, if you want to make a commercial whole
wheat bread (nominally made with 100% whole wheat flour) and have it be
as light and fluffy as Wonder Bread, you are allowed to add up to 2%
gluten flour. Another place it is used is in Kaiser Rolls (the real New
York ones, not the star-imprinted soft rolls that you see in most of the
country). These have a fragile, flaky crust and an airy crumb.

A lot of amateur bakers try to compensate for their difficulty in
properly developing the gluten in a dough by adding some vital wheat
gluten (gluten flour). Mostly, this is a cop-out. It's preferable to
learn better technique, instead. However, you do sometimes see recipes
for heavy multi-grain breads that call for a little gluten flour to help
compensate for all the non-gluten-forming flours that are used. This
undeniably helps the dough hold together and makes for a somewhat
lighter, tastier bread.

My esteemed and ever knowledgeable colleague, Dick is right on the money
with this one (as usual). I use about 1/2 teaspoon of vital wheat
gluten in my rye (especially my pumpernickel) and multi grain breads to
give them better "gluten" development and a lighter texture. But, it
really doesn't buy you much in a well made, properly kneaded white/wheat
bread. King Arthur's Baking Companion has a nice section on vital wheat
gluten and when you may want to consider using it and when you should
try to avoid it and rely on technique.

All the best,
Mary

Dick Margulis wrote:



Raj V wrote:

Under what conditions would one use "Vital Wheat Gluten" in a bread
recipe?
I haven't looked at bunches of recipes, but I've never seen one that used
this ingredient.

TIA
Raj



Another name for vital wheat gluten is "gluten flour." It is important
to understand that this is different from "high-gluten flour." The
latter is bread flour with a high protein content of the right sort to
produce more gluten than typical bread flours when it is made up into a
dough. Gluten flour, or vital wheat gluten, is an additive used in small
quantities.

Gluten flour is made by mixing flour with water to make a dough and then
washing away the starch and drying and grinding what's left. There is
also a more modern process that accomplishes the same thing.

Gluten flour is added to doughs to give the baked goods more volume and
a lighter texture. For example, if you want to make a commercial whole
wheat bread (nominally made with 100% whole wheat flour) and have it be
as light and fluffy as Wonder Bread, you are allowed to add up to 2%
gluten flour. Another place it is used is in Kaiser Rolls (the real New
York ones, not the star-imprinted soft rolls that you see in most of the
country). These have a fragile, flaky crust and an airy crumb.

A lot of amateur bakers try to compensate for their difficulty in
properly developing the gluten in a dough by adding some vital wheat
gluten (gluten flour). Mostly, this is a cop-out. It's preferable to
learn better technique, instead. However, you do sometimes see recipes
for heavy multi-grain breads that call for a little gluten flour to help
compensate for all the non-gluten-forming flours that are used. This
undeniably helps the dough hold together and makes for a somewhat
lighter, tastier bread.

My esteemed and ever knowledgeable colleague, Dick is right on the money
with this one (as usual). I use about 1/2 teaspoon of vital wheat
gluten in my rye (especially my pumpernickel) and multi grain breads to
give them better "gluten" development and a lighter texture. But, it
really doesn't buy you much in a well made, properly kneaded white/wheat
bread. King Arthur's Baking Companion has a nice section on vital wheat
gluten and when you may want to consider using it and when you should
try to avoid it and rely on technique.

All the best,
Mary

"Raj V" wrote in message
...
Under what conditions would one use "Vital Wheat Gluten" in a bread
recipe?
I haven't looked at bunches of recipes, but I've never seen one that used
this ingredient.

TIA
Raj

VWG is also used in greater amounts to make low carb "bread". By using a
high proportion of VWG (which is essentially protein) you can reduce the
starch content of a loaf.

I've had the unfortunate experience of creating a low carb recipe for the
bakery I work at -- the dough is like rubber and behaves quite strangely.
VWG is a terrible product, IMO, and should rarely be used. Even heavy seeded
multi-grain breads can be made without VWG if you're careful.

Trevor

"Raj V" wrote in message
...
Under what conditions would one use "Vital Wheat Gluten" in a bread
recipe?
I haven't looked at bunches of recipes, but I've never seen one that used
this ingredient.

TIA
Raj

VWG is also used in greater amounts to make low carb "bread". By using a
high proportion of VWG (which is essentially protein) you can reduce the
starch content of a loaf.

I've had the unfortunate experience of creating a low carb recipe for the
bakery I work at -- the dough is like rubber and behaves quite strangely.
VWG is a terrible product, IMO, and should rarely be used. Even heavy seeded
multi-grain breads can be made without VWG if you're careful.

Trevor

Ah, this probably explains the texture of my WW/Rye Bauernbrot, well cooked
but slightly chewy. In my ignorance I added 1/4 cup of it to my flour
mixtures. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Thanks for the information,
Raj

In article , Dick Margulis
writes
A lot of amateur bakers try to compensate for their difficulty in properly
developing the gluten in a dough by adding some vital wheat gluten (gluten
flour). Mostly, this is a cop-out. It's preferable to learn better technique,
instead. However, you do sometimes see recipes for heavy multi-grain breads that
call for a little gluten flour to help compensate for all the non-gluten-forming
flours that are used. This undeniably helps the dough hold together and makes
for a somewhat lighter, tastier bread.

I find a small amount makes a big difference to Rose Levy Beranbaum's
Ten-Grain Torpedo, which has a heavy soaker including large seeds and
chops. Without it this bread is a lot denser. This is the only bread I
make that uses it, other than my lowish carb bread.
--
Jane Lumley

In article , Dick Margulis
writes
A lot of amateur bakers try to compensate for their difficulty in properly
developing the gluten in a dough by adding some vital wheat gluten (gluten
flour). Mostly, this is a cop-out. It's preferable to learn better technique,
instead. However, you do sometimes see recipes for heavy multi-grain breads that
call for a little gluten flour to help compensate for all the non-gluten-forming
flours that are used. This undeniably helps the dough hold together and makes
for a somewhat lighter, tastier bread.

I find a small amount makes a big difference to Rose Levy Beranbaum's
Ten-Grain Torpedo, which has a heavy soaker including large seeds and
chops. Without it this bread is a lot denser. This is the only bread I
make that uses it, other than my lowish carb bread.
--
Jane Lumley

In article . net,
Trevor J. Wilson writes
I've had the unfortunate experience of creating a low carb recipe for the
bakery I work at -- the dough is like rubber and behaves quite strangely.

What did you use? Did you try cutting the VWG with whey to make it less
rubbery?

--
Jane Lumley

In article . net,
Trevor J. Wilson writes
I've had the unfortunate experience of creating a low carb recipe for the
bakery I work at -- the dough is like rubber and behaves quite strangely.

What did you use? Did you try cutting the VWG with whey to make it less
rubbery?

--
Jane Lumley