{"id":14487,"date":"2015-06-22T18:30:31","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T22:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/?p=14487"},"modified":"2015-06-22T19:49:37","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T23:49:37","slug":"resting-relaxing-and-rising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/resting-relaxing-and-rising\/","title":{"rendered":"Resting, Relaxing and Rising"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Bread\"I’ve been reading of late about gluten<\/a><\/b>. How it works, how it develops, why it matters. Gluten is the key to good bread and pasta (the gluten-free fadists notwithstanding, gluten-free anything is an aberration that should be shunned by anyone not diagnosed with celiac disease*<\/span>).<\/p>\n

I’m learning more about how gluten links with itself to form the chains necessary to make our food, and how to improve it in my cooking. The Canadian Grains Commission<\/a> tells us:<\/p>\n

Gluten is a protein composite that accounts for 75 to 85% of the total protein content in bread wheat. Gluten component proteins are found in the endosperm of mature wheat grain, where they form a continuous framework around the starch granules… Gluten forms when water is added to flour and is mixed. During mixing, a continuous network of protein forms, giving the dough its strength and elasticity. By holding gas produced during fermentation, the protein network allows bread to rise.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Key words: “Gluten forms when water is added to flour and is mixed.”<\/p>\n

At one point, I tried adding extra vital wheat gluten to my doughs to help create a better\u00a0crumb when I felt it was failing, but I’ve learned that is unnecessary with the typical unbleached white flour I use. With the mixes of whole grain, rye and heritage flours, however, it might help. But it seems the best remedy is mixing and time.<\/p>\n

Recent books on baking bread and making pasta have provided me some new insights into gluten in both bread and pasta, which are, of course, related by their common component: flour. Gluten – the wheat protein strand that gives dough both its plasticity and elasticity – is essential to both bread and pasta. But it doesn’t automatically develop to its fullest without human intervention.<\/p>\n

The Big Bake Theory<\/a> adds:<\/p>\n

…there are ways of controlling gluten to obtain the optimal amount of gluten development for the particular baked good you are working with. These include:<\/p>\n