{"id":1481,"date":"2019-11-13T11:29:13","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T11:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/?post_type=food&p=1481"},"modified":"2020-02-19T16:25:04","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T16:25:04","slug":"vital-wheat-gluten","status":"publish","type":"food","link":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/food-drink\/vital-wheat-gluten\/","title":{"rendered":"Vital Wheat Gluten"},"content":{"rendered":"
Vital wheat gluten goes by a number of names and has a range of different uses. With the growth in veganism over the past few years it is perhaps now most commonly used to make the brilliant vegan meat substitute seitan. We\u2019ve got a longer article that looks more specifically at seitan<\/a> and that also has more information on the long history of vital wheat gluten, its core ingredient.<\/p>\n This briefer feature has a narrower focus on wheat gluten, or wheat protein, to use two other common names for vital wheat gluten. Anyone who is gluten intolerant or at a more serious level suffers from coeliac disease, will be more than familiar with gluten. For those who have just heard the term but have never really known what it is or what it means:<\/p>\n Vital wheat gluten is, in essence, wheat flour that has been processed in order to remove almost all of the non-gluten content. What is left is almost 100% pure gluten and is, therefore, a really great source of vegan protein<\/a>. Whilst many home cooks use it primarily to make seitan, it does have a range of applications.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gluten has long been used by bakers in a range of recipes. Gluten is essential in many cakes, raised breads and even pastas because of the way it brings elasticity to recipes. When water is added the gluten proteins bind together to create a flexible, elastic dough, the elasticity of which is essential in order to allow the mass to expand and accommodate the gas produced by yeast.<\/p>\n As the yeast<\/a> emits carbon dioxide the dough stretches and the bubbles create air pockets within the dough. This is what causes the dough to rise and retain the air. Without gluten providing that pliability, the dough would be unable to hold onto the gas and the resulting dough would be heavier and also have less volume.<\/p>\n Most recipes that use wheat flour do not necessarily need added gluten because wheat already has a good amount of gliadin, the specific form of gluten found in this grain. Other grains and pseudo-cereals have lower levels of gluten, with rye and barley among those, whilst some have virtually none, for example corn, amaranth and rice.<\/p>\n If a baker is making a bread using rye flour, spelt or even whole wheat flour (which proportionally has less gluten), then the addition of a little vital wheat gluten can help prevent the bread or other product from becoming too dense.<\/p>\n Info above is from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)<\/em><\/p>\n As you can see, vital wheat gluten is exceptionally high in protein, whilst being very low in fat and totally sugar free. It is also low in salt\/sodium and has a very low glycaemic load. With 81% of its calories coming from protein and just 15% from carbs (4% from fat) it is a great addition to a low carbohydrate diet.<\/p>\n On top of the rosy picture painted by its macronutrient profile, vital wheat gluten also contains a range of minerals. 100g of this wheat-derived and totally vegan food will give you:<\/p>\n Note that mineral values are from the USDA and \u201crequired intake\u201d refers to the Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) quoted by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF)<\/em><\/p>\n As such it is a really great vegan source of selenium<\/a>, a very worthwhile source of iron<\/a> and also delivers decent amounts of phosphorus and vegan calcium<\/a>.<\/p>\n On top of that, there also small but not inconsequential amounts of magnesium, potassium, zinc and copper. Taking the overall nutrient value of vital wheat gluten into account it really is extraordinarily healthy and given its relatively low cost we\u2019re somewhat surprised it isn\u2019t more commonly consumed.<\/p>\n\n
What is Vital Wheat Gluten Used For?<\/h2>\n
Helps Bread from Becoming Too Dense<\/h3>\n
Bagels<\/h3>\n
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\n \nNutrient<\/td>\n Amount in 100g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Calories<\/td>\n 370<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Protein<\/td>\n 75.2g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Total fat<\/td>\n 1.9g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Saturated fat<\/td>\n 0.3g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Carbohydrates<\/td>\n 13.8g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sugar<\/td>\n 0g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n
Where Can I Buy Vital Wheat Gluten?<\/h2>\n