Gluten: The Protein That Makes Baking Work - Section 2: How Gluten is Formed

Gluten is the foundation of structure in bread and other baked goods, but it doesn't exist in flour on its own.

Instead, it forms when two proteins present in wheat flour, glutenin and gliadin meet water. The water allows them to unfold from their tight storage shapes and begin to interact with each other. Imagine thousands of springs and strings becoming intertwined, creating a flexible yet strong web throughout your dough.

Water alone isn't quite enough. These proteins need physical manipulation - kneading or mixing - to fully develop their gluten potential. As you work the dough, the proteins begin to align and form bonds with each other, creating the strong network structure. This network structure is capable of trapping air bubbles and providing structure to your dough. Without gluten, your dough stays flaky.