What is Gluten?

What is Gluten and Where is it Found?

Gluten is a compound of elastic proteins in the family known as prolamins found in certain members of the grass family.  Gluten is in wheat, barley, and rye.  It is composed of glutenin and gliadin (in wheat - including kamut and spelt), secalin (in rye) and hordein (in barley).  The word gluten comese from the Latin word glue and it gives elasticity to dough to help it to rise, keep its shape, and often giving the final product a chewy texture.  Gluten is also used as a source of protein in prepared foods and as an additive to foods otherwise low in protein or in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent.

Bread is typically made from grains such as wheat which contain gluten. Gluten-free bread is made with ground flours from a variety of materials such as rice, sorghum, corn, or legumes like beans, but since these flours lack the sticky gluten it can be difficult for them to retain their shape as they rise and they may be less "fluffy". Additives such as xanthum gum, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, corn starch, and eggs are used to compensate for the lack of gluten.  (see my Flours page for more details about different gluten free flours!)

This is important for vegetarians to note! Gluten is the basis for many imitation meats so be sure to check the label!

Oats are a bit of a question.  Originally, oats were cut out of the gluten free diet because they are all process in facilities that process wheat, so by default, oats had gluten in them.  Recently, there is now a place where oats can be process in a gluten free facility, so some celiacs have incorporated these oats back into their diet.  However, some research indicated that a protein naturally found in oats closely resembling wheat gluten and can cause a reaction in some celiacs.

The max safe level of gluten in a finished product is less than 0.02% . To put that into perspective, wheat flour has about 12% gluten, so even a tiny amount of wheat flour can effect a gluten-free diet so it is important to take care that there is no cross-contamination in food preparation.