Do you know the different types of gluten?

As mentioned, gluten found in wheat, rye, and barley are known by different names but they all contain prolamins. Prolamins are rich in proline and glutamine, two non-essential amino acids that are difficult to digest. It is the high proline and glutamine content in gluten that prevents the proteins from being completely broken down by the digestive enzymes. The long-term result of this is that proteins with up to ten amino acids, are present in the small intestine and cause reactions.  

Watch out for foods based on wheat, rye or barley. Keep in mind, however, that there are different variations of these grains. Here is a list of gluten-containing grains to avoid:  

• Wheat 
• Spelt 
• Kamut (Khorasan wheat) 
• Bulgar wheat 
• Triticale 
• Durum 
• Einkorn 
• Farina 
• Emmer 
• Semolina 
• Couscous 
• Barley 
• Pearl barley 
• Rye 

Pure oats can be eaten by most people with coeliac disease, make sure that they are labelled as gluten free. 

Thankfully, there is a significant range of foods and ingredients available for gluten-free baking and cooking.   

Here is a list of gluten free flours, each with its own unique taste, texture and culinary properties – and safe to use for people with coeliac disease or gluten intolerances.  

Alternative grains and cereals:   

• Amaranth  
• Buckwheat  
• Quinoa  
• Corn/Maize  
• Millet  
• Fonio  
• Rice  
• Tapioca  
• Sorghum Cassava (manioc)  
• Teff  
• Sago  
• Hemp  
• Hops  

Fruits and seeds  

• Chestnut  
• Coconut  
• Flax/linseed  
• Gram (chickpea) flour  
• Flours from pulses (lentils, beans, peas…)  
• Sesame  
• Soya  

Nuts  

• Almonds – hazelnuts – walnuts – peanuts  

Helpers for a successful baking  

• Agar 
• Carrageenin  
•  Fiber husk 

While wheat (including Emmer, Spelt, Khorosan wheat) is the main culprit when it comes to gluten, there are two other well-known cereals to watch out for – rye and barley. Rye is a cereal commonly grown as an edible grain, a cover crop (grown for the protection and enrichment of the soil), and a forage crop (grown specifically to be grazed by livestock). It is also a large component of the fermentation process through which whisky is made. In Alpine areas it is one of typical cereals to bake bread. Barley is a cereal grain widely used for brewing, especially beer, and, like rye, as a stock feed. Both rye and barley are grasses like wheat and all three are closely related on a structural level and therefore must be avoided by people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance. 

If you were to place a loaf of gluten free bread next to a traditional wheat-based loaf, they may not look significantly different on the outside. But, depending on the flour used, each gluten free loaf, roll or slice is a world of its own.  

Here are some of the key elements to look for that make gluten free bread different: 

• The taste is highly variable. The most challenging thing about gluten free bread is also what makes it so unique – the fact that there are many different flours to choose from, each having its own unique flavour. Wheat-based bread is fairly consistent in taste and texture. 

• The texture is less spongy. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye is what gives baked goods its characteristic soft but crunchy texture. Gluten free bread is often denser than wheat-based bread and some gluten free flours tend to have a gritty texture. 

• It has a shorter shelf-life. Not only does reheating gluten free bread cause it to go stale more quickly, but  generally it doesn’t last as long as wheat-based bread as a whole. Therefore many gluten free breads are sold frozen or in protected atmosphere packaging. Most breads are better eaten toasted unless they’re in a vacuum sealed pack. 

• It may not rise as much. Wheat-based breads have a wonderful rise that contributes to their airy texture, but gluten free breads tend not to rise quite so much. Gluten free breads usually have ingredients that replace the characteristic of gluten, to achieve similar textures. It might not brown in the same way. An evenly browned loaf is the signature of a beautiful bake, but gluten free bread doesn’t always brown as consistently as wheat-based loaves. You can help your gluten free bread brown more evenly by brushing it with milk, beaten egg, or water before baking.