What does it mean to let gluten relax?
I'm new to cooking and have no experience cooking.
I know a bit about gluten in that it gives bread the toughness for stretching, which is good for chewy bread and bad for soft cakes.
I've watched some baking videos where the cook says to "let the gluten relax". I just know it means to leave the dough alone to do something.
What exactly does it mean to let the gluten relax? What happens with the gluten and how does it change the bread/cake?
Best Answer
It means exactly what it says: the gluten relaxes. You can observe it for yourself.
When you leave the dough alone after vigorous kneading, the gluten relaxes and goes from a tensed up state to a mellow state, similar to how human muscles relax depending on the owner's emotional state. The dough goes from hard and modeling-clay-like to pliable and elastic.
The difference for the final bread is a bit indirect. While trying to bake with a completely tense gluten will probably lead to a bad rise, you actually would never do that, because you leave the dough to rise after kneading anyway, and it relaxes during that stage. The real advantage of giving the dough time to relax during kneading is that it lets you properly knead the dough. If your dough has tensed up too much, further kneading motions are not making the structure better, they are making it worse - breaking the dough, for example, and certainly not contributing to the pliable, resilient elastic mesh of gluten you want. If you try to force tensed up dough by kneading, you will end up with overkneaded dough, and if you stop at the point that it's tensed up and let it rise, it will be underkneaded. So instead, you give it a rest, the dough relaxes, and from that point on, you can continue kneading.
Pictures about "What does it mean to let gluten relax?"
Quick Answer about "What does it mean to let gluten relax?"
After about 20 minutes of this, most of the gliadin has lost its grip on the glutenin, and all that remains holding everything together are the strong bonds between glutenin molecules. At this point, the dough is “relaxed,” and it is easy to knead or form.What does relaxing gluten mean?
It means exactly what it says: the gluten relaxes. You can observe it for yourself. When you leave the dough alone after vigorous kneading, the gluten relaxes and goes from a tensed up state to a mellow state, similar to how human muscles relax depending on the owner's emotional state.What happens when gluten relaxes?
Kneading causes the gluten strands to get stronger and longer. However, if too much gluten is formed then the bread dough does not stretch so easily. This will cause the bread to become tough and chewy. Relaxing or resting the dough reduces the elasticity of the dough making it easier to roll out.How do you relax gluten?
Water is what coaxes the two wheat proteins glutenin and gliadin to combine and form gluten. So by adding or withholding water from dough or batter, you can encourage or deter gluten's development. When you want to maximize gluten, a moderate amount of water is ideal.What does relaxing dough mean?
Rate & Review. A term used to describe the "resting" period for pastry dough to prevent shrinkage. The ball of dough should be wrapped in plastic and placed in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. This will allow the elasticity, which was built up during mixing, to relax.Science: What is Gluten? Here's How to See and Feel Gluten
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Craig Adderley, Skylar Kang, Yaroslav Shuraev, Yaroslav Shuraev