On Gluten and Resting Dough

This following writing is purely anecdotal, it is not factual, or backed by research, but it might be of interest if you have gluten intolerance but still enjoy pastry (you poor thing!).

1. Festival Encounter: A Gluten-Free Pizza Saga

It was at a festival in Margaret River I did for a few years and a young, talented, woman who had a gluten intolerance. She wanted a gluten-free pizza, I had none in stock, and she went away. A year forward and I’m at the festival again, and she comes again. By this point in time, we knew each other already and I was part of a group she was training, I was ready with the gluten-free base but she came up and asked for a regular pizza, I asked what happened to the intolerance, expecting that it is one of those things that disappear after a few cocktails. She tells me she tried a slice yesterday and didn’t get the usual cramps, there were some mild effects, but worth it for a good wood fired pizza.

2. The Dough Evolution: Two-Day Fermentation

What changed? Did she get better? Did she bullshit me? The only change was that I moved from freshly made dough that’s made in the morning and cooked in the evening, to a two-day ferment using a sourdough starter. All things equal, that must have a hand in it.

3. Aerated Crunch vs. Flexible Flavor: Understanding Dough Fermentation

When you make the dough you raise it on the counter, or in the fridge. It doubles in size, then you knead it and let it rise again, after which it is baked, which gives a very aerated and crusty crunch. In this case, you cut the fermentation process to get the final rise in the oven, hypercharging the yeast for one last firework show encrusted in the gluten fibers, yet there is another way.

4. Maximizing Rise: A Different Approach to Dough Preparation

Letting the dough rise once for a day, not until it doubles, but until it maximizes its rise, and then kneading it to shape and letting it rise again under the same conditions allows you to use a lot less yeast (if instant or as a starter) and allows the fermentation process to reach full potential. It is evident in a very flexible dough with a rich flavor that started breaking apart the gluten.

5. Gluten Unveiled: The Role in Dough Structure

Gluten is those fibers seen in good dough, it looks like an erratic spider web or a nerve map. These are the flour proteins that capture the gases released by the yeast at their eating frenzy and it is what gives bread its texture. I’ll divide it into two for my purposes, but it is truly an endless realm.

6. Instant Bread vs. Sourdough: A Gluten Dichotomy

Type one is instant bread, it is a fast-rising bread, minimal resting, room temperature, and the most common at home as it does not take up a lot of space in the fridge. A similar process is used in most supermarket breads as it can be made within a single process production line.

7. Sourdough Symphony: A Longer, Richer Dough Process

Type two is sourdough; it is a longer process in which one takes anywhere from a couple of days to 10 days and is more common with the avid home baker and higher-end bakeries that can afford the space it requires.

8. The Gluten Breakdown: Impact on Digestion

The difference between the two is the yeast, which can be from a starter, or wild yeast, and the breakdown of the gluten. In the first type, the gluten is strong, it’s fresh, and resistant, and when eaten the body needs more energy to digest it, often leading to a bloated feeling. With the second type, gluten has already started to break down, it is more elastic and more experienced in life, and when digested it takes less effort as the process has already started, leading to a lighter feeling and, in the case of gluten intolerance, less severe symptoms.

9. Gluten Tolerance: Beyond Gluten-Free

This is not to say it becomes gluten-free, it is not safe for folks suffering from celiac, but it does rid it of the bloated feeling one can get from eating bread, it lowers the symptoms associated with gluten intolerance, and is generally just better for your gut.

10. The Bread Dilemma: Cheap vs. Quality

Bread can be cheap and expensive at the same time, such as staple food, but it’s worth noting that you might as well treat yourself to a good bread. Cheap bread is not cheap, as one needs to spend the saved money on condiments to make it taste good. Good bread is worth its price as it tastes good on its own, it's better for the body and deserves a quiet appreciation.