Gluten formation

Flour itself does not contain gluten. Two of its proteins, glutenin and gliadin, combine with water to create it, and mixing is needed to build a strong, continuous network. A baking textbook describes the result as a rubber-like substance formed by mixing flour with water.

Researchers describe gluten forming through hydration followed by the breaking and re-forming of links between protein chains, with water acting as a plasticizer. The two proteins play different parts: glutenin is responsible for dough strength and elasticity, while gliadin contributes to the viscosity and extensibility of the dough.

Gluten is dynamic and changes as it is handled; it becomes stronger and stretchier with mixing. The same textbook notes that how bread turns out depends on how the gluten is developed by proper handling during fermentation.