Gluten
A group of proteins (gliadins and glutenins) found in wheat, barley and rye, responsible for the elasticity of dough and bread, but problematic for some people.
Gluten (from the Latin for « glue ») is the protein network that forms when wheat flour is hydrated and kneaded. It gives bread its elasticity and softness by trapping the fermentation gases. Without it, it is hard to make bread rise.
The original angle (modern wheat and sourdough): gluten is demonised, but the reality is nuanced. Several factors explain the rise in sensitivities:
- Wheat has changed: modern breeding has favoured high-yield, gluten-rich varieties. Ancient wheats (einkorn, spelt) have a different gluten, sometimes better tolerated (although not gluten-free).
- Bread-making has changed: industrial bread is made quickly, with fast-acting yeasts. Traditional sourdough bread ferments for a long time: the sourdough bacteria pre-digest some of the gluten and FODMAPs, often making it better tolerated. A real ancient-wheat sourdough is a world away from an industrial baguette.
- It may not be only the gluten: in many « sensitive » people, the problem comes from FODMAPs (wheat fructans) rather than the gluten itself (see NCGS, non-coeliac gluten sensitivity).
Who really needs to avoid gluten:
- Coeliac disease: total, lifelong avoidance, non-negotiable
- Wheat allergy: avoidance
- Confirmed NCGS: reduction, after ruling out coeliac disease
For everyone else: there is no scientific reason to avoid gluten. Fashionable « gluten-free » eating by people without a condition is often pointless and more expensive, and industrial « gluten-free » products are frequently more processed, sweeter and lower in fibre than their standard equivalents.