Yeast dough is soft, gentle, rises well, and pastries are pleased with good taste. But it is in the ideal version. Not always so. Why is the dough sometimes hard, it falls off, the pastry quickly becomes hard, you get very heavy bread and pies?
Error one: cold foods and room
Yeast dough rises only in a warm environment.
For this reason, the ingredients for cooking should be heated. Flour and bulk products are simply left at room temperature to lie down. Liquids are specially heated to 38-45 degrees.
You can also spoil the dough, if you run the yeast in hot water.
They simply die, perhaps partially. The dough will rise for a long time, it will turn out heavy, dense, baking will not please the softness and size. After kneading, the dough is left in a warm place, but no longer heated, this can not be done. From above surely cover with the breathing fabric that the weight did not become covered with a crust.
Error two: poor quality yeast
Yeasts are dry and live pressed, usually they are in briquettes. Recipes indicate the desired type. Nowadays, dry yeast is most commonly used. Regardless of the type of product, it is important to check its shelf life. Overdue yeasts have a weak lift. If the dough does not rise, then this may be the problem. You can check in advance the suitability of yeast.
How to check yeast:
- We mix the required amount of yeast with the prescription amount of liquid. Add a little sugar, you can take from the recipe, but not all the norm.
- Enter a few tablespoons of flour. It should make a talker like dough for pancakes.
- Leave in a warm place for 15-30 minutes.
- If a good foam appeared on the surface, the talker rose and increased in size, then the yeast is of good quality. Add the rest of the products, make the dough.
- If the talker does not increase or rises weakly, you can add more yeast and also knead the dough.
- If the talker has not changed, then the yeast is unusable, you should not waste time on them and spoil the rest of the products.
The same talker is made to activate and accelerate the fermentation. It turns out a simplified opara, which significantly reduces the time of raising the dough.
Dry yeast can be replaced with live yeast, for this simply increase the amount three times. For 10 g of dry yeast we take about 25-30 g of pressed yeast. You can also change them in the opposite direction. Dry yeasts have more lift, are concentrated, besides they are beautifully stored and do not require special conditions. Therefore, more and more often they are used in recipes.
Important! Regardless of the type of yeast, you need to adhere to the recommended amount. You do not need to increase it, otherwise the dough will have an unpleasant taste. If you lay less than the norm, the lifting process is much delayed.
Error Three: Much or Little Flour
No dough is made without flour. The result depends on its grade. Everyone knows that flour needs to be sifted. It eliminates litter and removes lumps. The product becomes friable and airy, but it is important not to overdo it with the quantity.
Yeast dough does not need to be hammered. Even after kneading, it should remain soft and slightly sticky. If there is a lot of flour, baking will turn out tough, it will rise badly, it will also be reflected in taste.
Another mistake is a small amount of flour. If the dough spreads, does not hold the form, strongly sticks to the hands, it is difficult to work with it. In addition, the batter quickly rises and peroxides. Such a mass is suitable only for yeast pancakes and pancakes. Pies, buns, loaf of him form will not work.
Fourth error: a lot of sugar or no
Yeast-free yeast dough does not work, but it also becomes tasteless without salt.
Sand helps to activate the work of yeast, contributes to the rise of mass, accelerates processes. If you knead without it, the dough may rise, but it will not redden, there will be large pores, the pastries will taste like ordinary bread. Sugar is always added to patties, buns, rolls.
Another mistake when mixing homemade dough - a large amount of sugar. It turns out a heavy, dense muffin. With an excess of sugar, it is difficult for the yeast to work, so a measure is needed in everything. Sometimes it is better to sprinkle with sugar a bun on top than to lay a lot when kneading.
Fifth error: the dough stood for a little or a lot
If the yeast dough did not rise well, then it simply did not turn out. On average, he needs to stand for 2.5 to four hours. After the first lift, the dough is dipped by hands and mixed. Then give rise again. The cooler the room and the more ingredients in the composition, the longer it will take to lift.
If the dough is cut immediately after kneading, it may rise slightly in the oven, but baking will not please the taste.
Signs of test readiness:
- it stood for at least two hours;
- the mass rose well at least once;
- when pressed, the fossa is not restored, but remains.
Sometimes the dough peroxides. This happens if there is a lot of yeast in it, the mass is too long. It is impossible to fix it. You can determine the sour smell.
Also, the peroxide dough itself is lowered. It loses sugar, does not brown in the oven, does not rise, or does it inertly. You do not need to spend time on it, but a small part can be used as a sponge.
Secrets of working with yeast dough
- If you need to speed up the rise and ripening of the dough, you can add a spoonful of cognac or vodka to it when mixing.
- In addition to yeast, you can add a small amount of baking powder, just one teaspoon per kilogram of flour. The dough will be porous, soft, and the taste will not change.
- If it is cool at home, you can put a bowl of dough on a pan with hot water, sometimes turn on the stove under it, and heat it up a little.
- To keep the yeast dough from sticking to the pan, knead it well until smooth. You can also lightly grease a bowl of vegetable oil.
If there is a lot of salt in the dough, then it will rise poorly, besides, it will not taste good. Per pound of flour is enough one teaspoon.
The exact amount of salt depends on baking, as well as additional ingredients. For example, it is already present in margarine.
