Gluten-intolerant readers may want to look away – this image shows an almost pure glob of the chewy stuff, extracted from a dough ball by washing away the starch granules, and then photographed at 734x magnification. It’s from Nathan Myhrvold’s $625, five-part foodie megawork, Modernist Bread, in which he reveals the microscopic processes that go into a perfect loaf. Any way you slice it, that’s a lot of dough for a cook book...
What is gluten?: Gluten is the general name for the proteins found in grains like wheat, rye, spelt and barley. The two main proteins are called glutenin and gliadin, and it's the gliadin you don't want
How many people are allergic to gluten?: 22 per cent of Brits have gone 'gluten free,' owing to intolerance, but only 1 per cent of the population is actually allergic and suffers from the autoimmune condition coeliac disease
What does gluten do?: Gluten makes dough elastic, helping it rise and keep its shape and often gives the final product a chewy texture. It comes from the Latin word for glue
Fun fact: There's no such thing as a gluten free oat
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
