Does the addition of acid into flour inhibit gluten formation?

Question

I want my dough to have minimal gluten formation. For that I will be adding boiling water to my flour. Also I am curious that does adding any acid such as lemon juice/vinegar will inhibit gluten formation or increase formation of gluten?

Answer 1

No, it will not inhibit gluten formation. On the contrary, it will make much stronger gluten strands. In fact, if you want the strongest gluten, you have to go either quite sour (pH 3.5) or quite alkalic (I don't remember the exact number). Working on the alkalic side of things is impractical in the kitchen, so there are very few applications (kansui or pretzels are the only examples I can think of spontaneously), but making bread more sour for stronger gluten is a very common thing. It can be done by different methods, for example through using sourdough, or adding orange juice, or using commercial dough improvers based on ascorbic acid.

If you want to inhibit gluten formation, stay neutral (pH 7). Or just shorten your dough with a fat, it is the easiest and most common solution that has been practiced for thousands of years and works great.

Answer 2

Acid actually weakens gluten...makes it easier to stretch. This explanation indicates that pH of 5 to 6 is ideal for gluten development (7 is neutral). A pH above or below that range will make gluten more extensible, not necessarily stronger.

See also this for more information on additives to dough.

Answer 3

Yes, adding acid shortens gluten strands. If you try making Naan, for example, with too much yoghurt, the dough doesn't form quite as well. However the biggest way to inhibit gluten development is with using the correct flour and the correct techniques.