How to Add Gluten to Flour

Co-authored by Craig Watson

Last Updated: April 30, 2025 References

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It adds elasticity to bread dough and absorbs moisture to add structure and make the finished product moist and fluffy. White bread flour has more gluten than whole wheat, which is why whole wheat breads tend to be denser and more crumbly. Other flours, such as rye and all-purpose wheat, also have lower gluten contents and tend to make drier, more crumbly breads. However, you can increase the gluten content by adding vital wheat gluten to your flour.^{[1]
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Steps

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The standard gluten/flour ratio is 1 tbsp. (15 ml) for every 2 to 3 cups (473 ml to 711 ml) of flour.^{[2]
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Mix in the vital wheat gluten before you add the other dry ingredients once you have determined how to add gluten to flour.^{[3]
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- Add your flour to a bowl, add the gluten and mix it together with a fork or pour it into a sifter and sift it into a fresh bowl.
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Combine your wet ingredients per the instructions in your bread recipe.
- Once you have mixed the gluten into the flour you can use it as you would any other flour.

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Can vital wheat gluten be added to white whole wheat pasta dough recipes?

Mark Blackwell

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Unless the flour you are using is specially made, all flours contain gluten. Bread flours generally contain added gluten, so when you supplement all-purpose flour with your own essential gluten protein, you are making it into bread flour. Whole wheat, rye -- it matters not. Gluten is what holds a dough together when it is under stress during bread making. Now, whether you should add it to pasta dough or not is another matter. Pasta is basically soggy, unleavened bread. Since you're not trying to make it rise, there wouldn't be any use in trying to fortify its ability to make gluten strands.

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Can I add gluten to cowpea flour to bake bread?

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Yes, you can.

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Is gluten the same as bread improver?

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"Improver" is a general term that is applied to a number of things, from diastatic malt powder to nuts, grains, juice, etc., and yes, gluten. "Bread improver" is anything you add to your bread that "improves" it.

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Tips

Avoid adding too much additional flour during the kneading process and knead the dough with a gentle touch. Excess kneading and additional flour actually creates more gluten and you could end up with excess gluten in your product.^{[4]
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Gluten ratios are very exact. If you add more than the recommended amount of gluten, your bread will not rise properly and could dry out. Add less and the bread will crumble.

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Avoid adding gluten to cake, cookie, or pie recipes, where it will make the final product heavy and tough. These recipes rely on other factors, such as the steam produced during the baking process, to maintain moisture in the final product. Gluten is best reserved for breads, which need the protein to maintain the structure.

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Warnings

Do not add gluten to your flour if you are using gluten-free flours for recipes specific to celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

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