Does more gluten mean better bread?
Hello from the UK!
I have read that it is good to use flour with a high gluten content to make bread with a light fluffy crumb, as the gluten chains work to strengthen the dough, creating elasticity and extensibility, thus keeping the fermentation gases in the bread.
But does higher gluten content always mean better texture and volume? Is it the case that the stronger the gluten and more elastic the bread, the more resistance is gives to expansion? I have read that french bread flour has a lower gluten content than the average strong bread flour, and I have good results from mixing strong flour with plain flour.
Does anybody know if there is a point at which higher gluten levels actually limit the expansion of the loaf, it's volume and therefore it's light texture?