The present invention broadly provides novel peptides that can be used to form hydrogels. The peptides are short (preferably 30 amino acid residues or less) and include hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments joined by a turning segment. The hydrogels are formed by altering the pH of a solution of these peptides to an acidic level, or by introducing a source of ions into a solution of these peptides. The resulting hydrogels are shear thinning gels that have high storage moduli and high rates of recovery after destruction. They find use in medical applications, including tissue engineering.