Elasticity

Elasticity is the ability of a material to return to its original shape after being stretched or shap, much like a spring or rubber band.

In dough, elasticity is a key characteristic of gluten, providing structural strength and enabling it to capture gases produced during fermentation without tearing, which in turn, allows the dough to expand in volume.

Among the two gluten-forming proteins, glutenin and gliadin, it is glutenin that provides gluten with its elasticity.

Without elasticity, the dough cannot trap gases and increase in volume because there would be no structure to hold the gases and expand.

When discussing the ‘strength’ of dough, we typically refer to its level of elasticity.