constitutes the bulk of the bread or cake. The
outer surface, which usually has a dryer,
denser texture, is the crust.
With this overview in mind, let’s look
more closely at the structural elements of
doughs and batters.
Gluten
Chew on a small piece of dough, and it
becomes more compact but persists as a gum-
like, elastic mass, the residue that the Chinese
named “the muscle of flour” and that we call
gluten. It consists mainly of protein, and
includes what may well be the largest protein
molecules to be found in the natural world.
These remarkable molecules are what give
wheat dough its liveliness and make raised
breads possible.
Gluten Proteins Form Long Chains That
Stick to Each Other Gluten is a complex