Flour and a liquid mixed together to form a thick, malleable substance.
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Windowpane test - Why does my dough fail it, and what is it good for?
I am very new to pizza making, but after only 5 tries I am pretty pleased with the results. (I get passable Neapolitan-style and thin-crust pies.)
However, one thing I've noticed is that my dough ...
5
votes
2answers
480 views
What is the easiest way to measure bread's rising?
How can I easily measure the volume of my bread as it rises? I usually eyeball it or test for feel, but this isn't very accurate, and definitely isn't getting the full rising potential out of it.
...
5
votes
1answer
229 views
What kind of dough do you use to make typical american donuts?
What kind of dough do you use to make typical american donuts (the ones that Homer Simpson loves). I'm from Italy and I've tried using flour and baking following some tutorials but no way: is not the ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
Why did mold develop on the top of my sourdough?
I made some sourdough starter from scratch, using garden grapes, flour and water. It was wonderful for the first few batches. Today, I was going to get another bread batch going, and when I looked ...
5
votes
3answers
191 views
What ingredient changes will make this cookie dough more workable?
When I make a particular cookie, the rolling and shaping steps are very frustrating because the dough gets very soft and tends to fall apart when I'm working with it. Chilling the dough makes it more ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
What is the purpose of oil or butter in bread?
Specifically in wheat and potato breads, what is the purpose of adding oil or butter to the dough?
I have always assumed it was just for flavor, but I suspect there is some background chemical ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
How can you tell whether bread dough is ready for baking?
I've tried to make a special bread for making 'torrijas', the Spanish version of French toast. Very popular during easter, here.
Twice, the bread didn't rise correctly in the oven, even after ...
5
votes
3answers
562 views
What effect does orange juice have when used in dough?
I was following a recipe to make some Middle Eastern inspired Olive bread, and the recipe called for a cup of orange juice in the dough.
I was intrigued by this as I had not seen it before.
What ...
5
votes
1answer
331 views
What's wrong with my technique in this Belgian Liège Waffle recipe?
I've been using this awesome recipe to make Belgian Liège waffles, but my results are never consistent. Could you guys help me reverse engineer the recipe a bit?
During the butter-adding phase in ...
5
votes
1answer
604 views
What is the difference between a poolish and a biga?
Both poolish and biga are pre-ferments. Poolish is a French name, biga an Italian term. What other differences are there between the two?
Just to give some direction: are there differences in making ...
5
votes
1answer
602 views
How to properly freeze calzones
In an attempt to streamline my weeknights I plan on baking several mini calzones and freezing them for later. How would I go about this without ruining the crust? Should I bake them before I freeze ...
5
votes
1answer
368 views
How can I improve my gluten-free pizza dough?
I've been making pizza dough for years, and recently found that I have a gluten allergy, and can no longer eat wheat flour! Very sad news, indeed.
So... I bought Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza ...
4
votes
5answers
2k views
How to use pie weights?
Should something be placed between pie weights (whether using rice, beans, or metal/ceramic beads) and the pie dough?
Should the dough still be pricked with a fork?
How do you remove the weights?
...
4
votes
2answers
823 views
Adding butter to pizza recipe
I like to experiment with my pizza recipe, and I love the taste of butter.
Right now my pizza dough recipe is something like this:
2 cups of flower
3/4 cup of water
1 ts of yeast
2 ts of ...
4
votes
3answers
829 views
Can I leave out raw already-formed cookies for close to an hour while I wait for the oven to be available?
I'm making a cookie dough and forgot that I already had something in the oven. I prepared a baking sheet of cookies to go into the oven - but there is something already in there that requires another ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
Possible to over-knead dough?
It will be my first attempt to bake with yeast this weekend and I'm interested to know how you know when you have kneaded dough enough. Is it possible to over-knead dough?
If it makes a difference ...
4
votes
6answers
303 views
What is special about pierogi dough?
I wanted to make home-made pierogis. Is there a special dough that needs to be used? I wanted the pierogis to be fairly thick - what type of dough would work best?
4
votes
2answers
2k views
Low Carb Pizza Dough Recipe - How Will This Make Dough?
I have found a low-carb pizza dough recipe where you add 6oz of Cream Cheese and 6 eggs to make the dough (also includes some garlic, spices, and cheese). The recipe claims to be deep-dish, but I ...
4
votes
1answer
264 views
What is the rule of thumb for mixing doughs?
Without delving too deeply into specialty doughs, but addressing more than just cakes and bread, what concerns can I evaluate when calculating the technique for approaching a dough?
For instance, ...
4
votes
2answers
457 views
How do I hand-roll homemade pasta made with egg?
I have a very simple recipe for homemade pasta dough (one egg to 100g flour, some oil), and found this worked great on my first small batch. I mixed it in a stand mixer and immediately rolled it out, ...
4
votes
2answers
123 views
How can I score wet bread dough more easily?
I've noticed that it is dramatically easier to score firm bread dough than wet bread dough. But, sometimes it's good to work with a wet dough for other reasons. Any tips on how to score wet bread ...
4
votes
1answer
523 views
What happens to pasta dough when it is run multiple times through the machine?
Before, when I made fresh pasta, the dough would become a little "brittle" and was hard to work through the thinner settings of my pasta machine. Then I saw a tip on a cooking show to put the dough ...
4
votes
2answers
686 views
Why did my fresh pasta come out pasty and lumpy?
I just got a pasta machine, and had my first try at making fresh pasta yesterday. I used the recipe in the booklet that came with the machine which called for 2 cups Semolina flour, 2 large eggs, and ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
Dough Too Wet - what to do?
I'm trying out a recipe for a type of dinner roll. After kneading it on my mixer for 15 minutes, I put it in a slightly warmed oven to rise. I noticed that the dough was very wet, though. There is no ...
4
votes
1answer
116 views
What's the easiest dough for a Lemon Pie that still tastes good?
What dough would you recommend for when you need to wrap up a lemon pie fairly quickly?
4
votes
1answer
109 views
How can I save crumbly cookie dough?
I found a recipe online that required making cookie dough from scratch and then wrapping the cookie dough in wax paper and refrigerating for 2 hours. I made the cookie dough and it was way too crumbly ...
4
votes
1answer
738 views
How can I modify corn bread recipes to accomodate a wet filling?
I am hoping to make dough cups using a corn bread style dough. My approximate recipe would be, presumably, to par-bake initially, then fill with a pot pie style liquid/solid mixture, top with a corn ...
4
votes
1answer
137 views
How to shape the perfect bao dough
I made char siu bao for the first time last night and followed this recipe to make the dough. It came out great tasting but bad looking- I couldn't find advice on how to shape the bao correctly. Are ...
3
votes
3answers
495 views
pita bread crust too hard
I've baked my first pita bread in home, the pockets was almost well formed but the crust is hard, crunchy.
I've applied some variations because of time/number/ingredients restrictions, in particular:
...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
Good techniques for stirring dough
Is there any particular technique for stirring dough (particularly cake dough) that is to be recommended? When I stir dough, I find that I develop too much gluten (i.e. it gets too chewy) and don't ...
3
votes
2answers
484 views
Salt 'n pizza (how much salt should be in the dough)
I've made a pizza today and thought the dough could use a little more salt. I've looked at this answer and have a question about the salt ratio. How is it calculated? The percentage of flour, or the ...
3
votes
3answers
392 views
What is the affect of adding alkaline or acidic substances to wheat flour?
What are the chemical reactions of adding alkaline substances to wheat flour dough and how does it change the properties and behavior? The same for acidic substances.
3
votes
2answers
2k views
What can I substitute for Rice flour in a gluten-free pizza?
I am going to try to make gluten-free pizza for my wife, and I'm going to start with this Serious Eats recipe.
The recipe calls for white rice flour, but my wife has just about everything EXCEPT ...
3
votes
1answer
413 views
Lightening Bread
Is there a generally accepted method for lightening bread dough that is pretty general for a variety of breads; pizza crust, whole grain bread, dessert breads, etc.
3
votes
1answer
824 views
Why and when do you need to dock dough?
When making a pie, you almost always have to make holes in the dough with a fork. This is called docking.
What is the exact reason for doing this? Are there kinds of pastry (puff, short crust, flaky) ...
3
votes
2answers
172 views
Should you freeze pastry lukewarm? If so, why?
I have a book about baking in general. In the chapter 'Preserving pastry in the freezer' is the following sentence (I translated it for practical reasons):
Pastry should be frozen as fresh as ...
3
votes
1answer
250 views
Sausage roll pastry - how do I achieve a smooth shiny effect?
I came across this on the net and would love to be able to make them for a party next week.
...
3
votes
1answer
891 views
Can I use thicker pastry dough in place of fillo / wonton wrappers / lumpia wrappers?
I just concluded making bourek (sp. var.) yesterday and everyone commented how great it was. I have also made the Filipino appetizer lumpia, and some sort of triangle pastry with pine nuts (I forget ...
3
votes
2answers
93 views
Butter Substitutions in the Quiche dough
I used to make quiche very often, but I really have a problem with dough, I want to reduce the amount of butter in the dough without making it very hard and unpleasant.
Is there any way to replace ...
3
votes
2answers
109 views
Storing Bao Overnight--to steam and refrigerate?
I am making roasted duck bao for a dinner tomorrow night.
I will form them all tonight and then refrigerate them until tomorrow. Is it best to steam bao before refrigerating and then steam again ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Can I substitute baking soda for kansui powder?
Related: What does kansui do to dough in noodle making?
I'm looking to make my own 拉面-style noodles. I've read up a lot about kansui and making your own kansui with a powder mix of sodium and ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
What does kansui do to dough in noodle making?
I'm trying to understand how to properly prepare hand pulled noodles. I've read about Kansui and Lye water and in some instances I've read that they serve a similar purpose. However, after some ...
3
votes
1answer
194 views
Why do short pie bases require chilling before baking?
I understand why the dough should be chilled before forming it into the pie dish/pan, but often I see recipes wanting the formed base covered with wrap and put in the fridge for 20 minutes before ...
3
votes
1answer
372 views
How to make sweet-tasting noodles?
I've never made noodle dough before, and I want to try it today. However, I'd like to make the noodles more sweet.
Is the base ingredient ratio for making the noodle dough one egg per 100g flour?
...
3
votes
1answer
140 views
Udon Noodles break too easily
I tried making Udon noodles several times and even though I've gotten a rhythm to do them, I still can't figure out why they break so easy when I blanch them. I use
1tsp lye water
8 ounces (1 cup) ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
Is it possible to make kataifi dough (by yourself or starting from filo dough)?
I really like the thready structure in this dish. But when I look for recipes, they all ask for a box of kataifi dough. I haven't found this in regular supermarkets (I haven't been to greek stores), ...
2
votes
2answers
129 views
Should I add flour to dough if I already weighed the amount?
I am using this recipe for pizza dough, and I received some seasoned advice from other members of this site to use a precise kitchen scale for weighing the flour and water. The question is, if I ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Does resting kneaded dough for few hours change the taste/texture/softness of parathas?
We use the kneaded dough for making parathas.
Does resting kneaded dough for few hours (covered, on shelf) change the taste/texture/softness of the final outcome?
P.S. After kneading the dough, all ...
2
votes
2answers
3k views
What does 'turn out' mean in bread baking?
An instruction in this recipe says:
Gently turn loaf out onto a sheet pan that has been lightly oiled and
dusted with cornmeal.
I am confused by the use of the words "turn out". Does this ...
2
votes
3answers
714 views
Is salt important to the texture of dough?
Does salt have any effect on the texture of doughs?
My mother in law has gone on an ultra low salt kick and has taken to not putting salt in anything. This includes her pierogi dough (you know the ...
