Gluten formation. The view of wetted flour
through a light microscope. Left: When water
is first added to flour, the gluten proteins are
randomly oriented in a thick fluid. Right: As
this fluid is stirred, it quickly develops into a
tangle of fibers as the glutenin proteins form
elongated bundles of molecules.
Gluten orientation. When flour is initially
mixed with water, the glutenin molecules form
a random network of gluten chains. Kneading
helps orient the gluten chains in orderly
arrays.