How does fat affect gluten development in strudel/phyllo dough?
I'd like to prepare a strudel/phyllo dough from scratch, and I have noticed that the recipe calls for about 10%-12% of olive oil mixed into the strudel dough.
I have learnt that oil and/or fat inhibits gluten development. On the other hand, I've read that oil makes the dough more flexible so it can stretch easily (I don't know why or how it does it).
Can you please explain these features of oil in the context of strudel dough? Also, why does resting the dough help it to be more flexible?
Best Answer
Fat can inhibit gluten development in things like cakes, where the fat is allowed to coat the flour before other liquids are added. In things like bread dough, it slows down the gluten development a bit, but since the flour has already come in contact with water, it doesn't stop it. In the context of your phyllo or strudel, the oil serves a couple of purposes. First, oil in a dough helps to keep it from drying out which is very important when working with such thin doughs. Second, adding oil to a dough can help to make it easier to handle (less sticky).
The resting period of your dough both allows enzymatic reactions in the dough to further develop the gluten, and it allows the gluten to relax. You can think of the gluten as strings in your dough. As you knead the dough, you're winding these strings tighter and tigher, but when you let it sit, they can begin to stretch and loosen. This relaxation makes the dough much less "tight", so that it can be rolled out more easily without springing back as much.
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Quick Answer about "How does fat affect gluten development in strudel/phyllo dough?"
Any oil or fat this dough contains helps inhibit the development of gluten in the dough, so the gluten doesn't develop too much as it's kneaded. Because the gluten relaxes when the dough rests, the dough has a slightly softer texture and is easier to roll or stretch to the desired flatness.How does fat affect gluten development?
Oils and fats are used in a baked product to reduce the development of gluten giving the foods a crumbly texture. The fats and oils break down the gluten into \u201cshorter strands\u201d hence the term shorteners. Coating the flour in fat prevents the flour from absorbing water hindering the formation of gluten.How does fat affect dough?
Besides flavor, fat affects the texture of the finished bread. The fat coats the gluten strands and makes the finished product more tender\u2014both the crumb and crust\u2014and it makes the crumb more finely grained. It also makes the loaf seem moister.What affects the development of gluten in a dough?
Mixing, type of flour, amount of water, and presence of fats are amongst the factors that can affect gluten formation. Fats can prevent gluten development by creating a coating around the proteins (see shortening).What effect does butter have on the gluten in brioche dough?
The fat in butter will cover the gluten proteins, preventing them from doing their job in making a strong dough. Therefore, butter in a brioche dough is ended towards the end of the kneading process. At that point in time the gluten network should have been able to form.Demonstration of gluten development in baking
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