It is an indisputable fact that fermented pasta is more nutritious and easier for the human body to digest. However, many novices tend to make many small mistakes when making it, resulting in fermentation failure and making the steamed buns and steamed buns less flavourful. Soft and fluffy, how to avoid and solve these small mistakes and questions is what you must know before preparing to bake.

Today I have sorted out 6 common questions for you when making dough. For example, what will happen if you add too much yeast? Will it be harmful to human body? What should I do if the dough has fermented? How to tell if fermentation is just right? How do you know the dough is kneaded properly? If you have any questions, a chef with 20 years of experience will answer them for you, hoping to make your food journey smoother and smoother!

What happens if you add too much yeast? Is it harmful to the human body? Can it still be eaten?

Logically speaking, yeast is a pure green food and does not cause any harm to the human body. Its fermentation method is biological fermentation, unlike "baking powder" which is chemical fermentation. Everyone can use yeast with confidence.

Sometimes in order to increase the fermentation speed of the dough, we will increase the amount of yeast used. This is the most common approach. Adding too much yeast will only increase the fermentation speed. Adding too much will make it difficult for us to control. The fermentation of the dough will cause the dough to over-ferment and produce a sour taste, but it is not harmful to the human body. However, the taste and texture of the steamed buns will be very bad. The solution is to add a small amount of edible alkali to neutralize the sour taste.

However, it is recommended that you still need to pay attention to the amount of yeast when adding yeast. Generally, we can add about 3 to 5 grams of yeast powder to 500 grams of flour.

How to judge whether the dough is fermented just right?

How to judge whether the dough is fermented just right? This is the question that many novices are most concerned about when making pasta. The fermented dough should be 1.5 to 2 times larger than the dough that has not started to ferment. The volume is obviously increased. After peeling it off with your hands, there are many honeycombs inside the dough. Small pores, these are the effects of gas expansion.

We can also stick dry flour with our fingers, insert a hole in the middle of the dough, and then see if there is any collapse or shrinkage around the hole. If not, then the fermentation is just right. .

How to speed up fermentation?

The main factors that affect the fermentation speed of yeast are: temperature and nutrients.

The optimal room temperature for yeast fermentation should be between 25 degrees and 35 degrees. In summer, room temperature fermentation is possible, but in winter, heated fermentation is required. We can boil a pot of hot water and wait until the water temperature drops to 30 degrees, which is not hot to the touch. When the temperature is about 100 degrees, just put the dough basin into water and cover it to keep warm for fermentation. This can significantly increase the fermentation speed in winter.

The other is that yeast needs nutrients for fermentation, which is "sugar". Adding an appropriate amount of white sugar when kneading the dough can speed up the fermentation. However, if you use "low-sugar yeast", adding more than 7% white sugar to the flour will It will significantly inhibit the fermentation reaction, so the amount of white sugar should also be added in an appropriate amount.

How to knead the dough well?

Kneading the dough is also a part of the dough making process that people tend to have questions about. When steaming steamed buns or steamed buns, there are two steps that require kneading the dough. The first step is to knead the dough before fermentation; the second step is to deflate the dough after fermentation.

Kneading the dough before fermentation in the first step is also a factor related to whether the dough ferments perfectly. In this step of kneading, the "tendons" of the dough must be kneaded out, otherwise the gas generated during the fermentation of the dough will not be able to When the dough is stretched up, there will be no "honeycomb" inside the dough, and the steamed buns will not be soft or fluffy; in other words, this "tendon" is the "support".

Part 2: It is also important to exhaust the air after kneading the dough. Otherwise, the surface of the steamed buns and steamed buns will be pitted and the internal structure will not be fine. So when is the time when the dough is kneaded and exhausted? We can cut the kneaded dough with a knife and see if there are any small pores on the cut surface. If the cut surface is smooth and has no pores, it is considered ready.

How to remedy the problem of over-fermented dough?

If the dough is over fermented, there will be a sour smell. If you add dry flour to knead the dough at this time, it will only produce a greater sour smell. The correct way is to add an appropriate amount of alkali to neutralize the sour smell. Alkali Don't add too much, just pinch a small amount with your fingers, melt the water and add it to the dough and knead evenly.

The second method can also use equal amounts of dough and fermented dough to join the dough, and then ferment it again. In fact, the principle is to use the over-fermented dough as "old dough" to ferment new dough. of dough.

What should I do if the fermented dough is too sticky?

The reason why the fermented dough is too sticky is that too much water is added when kneading the dough. Remember that the ratio of flour to water for steamed buns and buns is about 2:1, and different flours have slightly different water absorbencies. There is a difference, and the amount of water added is also slightly different.

What should you do if the fermented dough is already sticky to your hands? The method is very simple. When kneading the dough, just add dry flour several times until the dough reaches the appropriate softness and hardness. Note that the dough added with dry flour must be evenly kneaded and chewy, so that the subsequent steamed buns will be chewy. strength.