Grain Milling Tip – Gluten vs. Dough Enhancers

June 25, 2007 0 Comments

My first year or two of using freshly milled whole grain flours, I refused to use either gluten or dough enhancers. Being an all-or-nothing type person, I thought it was somewhat cheating. Boy, was I sadly mistaken! There are benefits to both . They differ, but the benefits only improve the whole grain loaf! Dont know WHY I waited so long to try them.

These tips are for a whole wheat loaf of bread using freshly milled four.

Gluten>

  • Gluten is a protein that is found naturally in wheat. It is NOT an additive.
  • You can get away with as little as 1TBS of Gluten or as much as 1/3 Cup – depending upon the amount of gluten in the wheat you are using.
  • I promise its not cheating and it makes a much better crown on your loaf of bread.

    • Dough Enhancers

  • There are Dough Enhancers that are totally natural and simply add to the shelf-life of the loaf. Our loaves never last long enough (they are eaten first) to see the exact length of how long our Dough Enhancer helps, but it does enhance the texture.
  • Try using only half of what the manufacturer recommends at first. Often you can stretch it with the same benefits and save yourself some money.
  • Not all Dough Enhancers are created equal. Do your research. Some contain Gluten and some do not. You will need to choose.

    • It was through trial and errors that lead me to writing Tips 10- 13 which are a medley of this vs. that.
    Hopefully you wont wait for as long as I did to try either or both of these wonderful parts of baking a loaf of fresh whole wheat bread! I had no idea what I was missing out on!

    Category: grain mill, Grain Resource, organic grains, organic wheat, spelt, wheat, wheat and grain, Wheat Information
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