Vital Wheat Gluten and “Deliberate Exception” Whole Wheat Bread
Oct 16, 2012, Updated Sep 26, 2017
There are a few foods that you and I eat regularly that probably don’t pass the “Kitchen Test” for October Unprocessed. Some of them we should know better and probably shouldn’t be eating, but others are more of a gray area when it comes to processing. As defined by Andrew, the “Kitchen Test” defines unprocessed foods as, “any food that could be made by a person with reasonable skill in a home kitchen with whole-food ingredients.”
One of these foods that comes up whenever I talk about October Unprocessed is Vital Wheat Gluten (aka gluten flour). In case you’re not familiar with Vital Wheat Gluten, this flour-like substance is primarily composed of wheat protein (typically gluten flour is about 75% protein, 25% starch). In baking, it is used to give bread more elasticity and loft – it’s what makes pizza crust chewy and helps trap those beautiful air bubbles in artisan breads. In cooking, it’s the main ingredient in seitan and many processed meat substitutes. It’s also the dreaded enemy of those with gluten intolerance and celiac disease. If you don’t have gluten intolerance or celiac disease, however, it’s pretty darn wonderful.
To make gluten, high protein wheat flour is washed repeatedly until the majority of the starch has been cleaned away, leaving behind the protein. The sticky result is then dried and ground to make a flour-like substance. It takes about 14 pounds of wheat flour to produce 1 pound of vital wheat gluten. Rest assured, the more nutritious parts of the wheat flour have already been stripped away into wheat bran and wheat germ before this process begins.
Sure, you could try to make this at home, but it would be a time-consuming, exceedingly messy project. Vital wheat gluten doesn’t truly pass the kitchen test. Some folks have made this ingredient a deliberate exception for October Unprocessed because of the many benefits it brings to the table. Seitan is a wonderful protein choice for vegetarians and vegans and far less processed than the faux meats that grace supermarket shelves. [Andrew’s note: You can also make seitan at home with whole wheat flour.]
Gluten also improves the texture of whole grain breads, allowing us to bake our own delicious whole grain breads without the extra ingredients like enrichments and stabilizers. If you can eat gluten, you may choose to make an exception for October Unprocessed. If you do, I hope you enjoy this recipe for “Deliberate Exception Whole Wheat Bread.”
Deliberate Exception Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups 567g Whole Wheat Flour
- ¼ cup 30g Vital Wheat Gluten
- 2 ¼ cups 540mL Water, warm
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoon 7g Active Dry Yeast
Instructions
Bread Machine Method:
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions to add dry ingredients, liquid ingredients, and yeast. Bake on wheat bread setting. Let cool before slicing.
Hand Method:
- Sprinkle yeast over warm water and let sit until yeast has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Combine whole wheat flour and vital wheat gluten. Add water/yeast mixture and begin to mix until incorporated. Add salt and knead until a smooth dough forms, about 10 minutes.
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let sit in a warm area until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Punch down dough, cover and let rise again until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Punch down dough a second time and shape into a loaf. Place in oiled loaf pan or on oiled baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 30 – 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.
- If desired, spray the top of the loaf with a light mist of water before placing in the oven. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 205°F and the top crust is golden brown.
- Let cool, then slice.
Nutrition
Not into vital wheat gluten as a deliberate exception? Here are some recipes from previous years that that don’t add extra gluten:
- The Scoop on Flour: 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread
- Everyday 100% Whole Wheat Bread
- Clean Eating Grissini (Whole Wheat Breadsticks)
Recipe needed another 1/4 cup flour to come together. Will bread hold up if oats, nuts or bran added?
I’m wondering the size of your loaf pan. Asking because another recipe I made (not from your site) didn’t mention, and the loaf rose & spilled over the sides…clearly their loaf pan was larger than mine. I just want to avoid a similar situation from happening again. Thanks!
I’m a new baker and all my previous bread attempts with multiple recipies were failures. This recipie worked! It held up to being sliced for sandwiches without being lost in a heap of crumbs! I love how it uses whole wheat and no sugar! Not to mention it tastes great. Thanks!
The bread rose nicely, good texture. Made it in my bread machine on the whole wheat cycle. It was ok taste and flavor. Too sour for my taste.
This bread just came out of the oven. It is absolutely delicious! I sliced a piece as soon as it was cool enough, and drizzled some honey on it. Yum! I also don’t see any harm in using vital wheat gluten in the pursuit of whole wheat baking. Thanks for the great recipe!
Do you need to knead the dough if you are using a bread machine? I haven’t used my bread machine yet so am a novice at it.
The machine does everything for you, except putting ingredients in pan. I have a batch of wheat bread going in my machine now.
Vital wheat gluten is definitely one of my deliberate exceptions. I don’t see it harmful in any way (to me, anyway). This bread looks great! 🙂
I made a recipe like this on Sunday and a friend couldn’t believe that I hadn’t added molasses because my bread was both brown and nicely risen!
I made this bread in my machine and it turned out wonderfully!
I have been using a honey whole wheat recipe from deliciouslyorganic.net No vital wheat gluten, and it’s delicious!