Bread gets its rise and texture from the interplay of two ingredients. The yeast in your dough digests sugars and converts them to carbon dioxide gas; and protein strands in the flour trap the gas into small pockets, which inflate like little balloons and create an open, airy texture. These protein strands, called gluten, are stronger and more plentiful in some types of flour than others. Bread flour has a lot of gluten, all-purpose flour has less and cake flour has the least of all. If all you have is all-purpose, you can add concentrated gluten to make better bread.
Step 1
Set out two bowls close together on your countertop. Measure your all-purpose flour into the first of these bowls.
Step 2
Remove two teaspoons of the all-purpose flour for each cup of flour in the bowl. For instance, if your recipe calls for three cups of flour, remove six teaspoons from the bowl.
Step 3
Add the same quantity of gluten to your bowl, sprinkling it evenly over the all-purpose flour.
Step 4
Stir in the gluten using a whisk or wooden spoon. Once it is well dispersed, sift the bowl of mixed flour into your second bowl.
Step 5
Repeat, stirring the flour and sifting it into the other bowl, three times. After this, the gluten should be evenly mixed throughout your all-purpose flour, giving you the equivalent of high-gluten bread flour.
Tips and Warnings
- Extra gluten makes your bread rise lighter and higher, but too much can make the crumb unpleasantly chewy. Start with 2 teaspoons of gluten per cup of flour, and reduce or increase it after testing the effect on your favorite bread recipe. Whole grain flours have relatively low gluten, and will benefit from extra gluten in the dough. Add an extra 1/2 to 1 teaspoon gluten per cup of whole grain flour.
Things You'll Need
- 2 bowls
- All-purpose flour
- Wheat gluten
- Whisk or wooden spoon
- Sifter
References
- "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen"; Harold McGee; 2004
- Joy of Baking; Flour; Stephanie Jaworski
- The Cook's Thesaurus; Wheat FLours; Lori Alden
- Baking 911; Bread 101: Mise en Place - All About the Equipment and Ingredients; Sarah Phillips
- Baking 911; Bread 101: Mixing and Kneading; Sarah Phillips
