Update On Wheat Vs. Gluten-Free Bread Properties

By Brookfield Engineering Laboratories, Inc.

This is the second in a series of articles on gluten-free products. Most authorities agree that the gluten-free market is one of the fastest growing food group segments. While the texture properties, aka mouth-feel, of wheat-based baked products are difficult to mimic without gluten, new product development in this market has made strides recently.

Most gluten-free products are usually made with blends of rice flour and tend to be much more dense and less compressible than wheat flour products. A few months ago we published an investigation of the physical properties of various types of commercially available sliced wheat bread, comparing those properties with one gluten free bread product.