SC - barley bread

[Decker, Terry D.]

You could add gluten to the barley, but the end product wouldn't be
authentic. Mixing wheat with other flours is period practice if you are
trying to get a rise.  And if you are trying to bake a traditional flat
bread or recreate a specific technique, why add gluten?

For my purposes, most all purpose flour has enough gluten.  If I need some
serious gluten, I move up to the high protein strong bread flours.  Of
course, I'm not trying to keep costs down and production and quality up.

Gluten forms most of the protein in flour and the percentage of protein per
volume of flour normally runs between 8 and 17 percent, most all purpose
flours being between 9 and 12 percent with a few low gluten cake flours
running down to around 6 percent.  There are some commercial, all-purpose
flours, especially in the South, which run between 7 and 9 percent and
probably need additional gluten to make decent commercial loaves.  Anything
12 percent and up, probably doesn't need a gluten boost.

Since a commercial bakery is trying to make a profit, it is very possible
that the best priced flour needs additional gluten and that adding gluten is
more cost effective than upgrading the flour.

Bear 

> How about adding Gluten?  I work in a bakery where we add gluten to just 
> about every thing, cause my boss says, too much of it is lost in the 
> prosessing of flour.  I'm only an apprentice, and haven't studied up on it
> 
> much.  What do you think?
> 
> AdN
>