There are two types of dough: with yeast and without yeast.
Yeast-free dough
Yeast-free dough is prepared in different ways, using baking powder or soda. With their help, cakes, gingerbread, waffles, unleavened dough etc. are prepared. Also, the yeast-free dough is prepared with the help of intensive beating. These types include: biscuits, cake layers, pancakes, meringues, French macarons.
A separate type of dough is the puff pastry, which is prepared according to the principle of layering with products containing fat. And the last way to prepare yeast-free dough is steamed dough. It is used to prepare eclairs, tulumba, sweets, or in one word, confectionery.
Yeast Dough
Yeast dough is divided into two types, double-rising and single-rising. The method of kneading is the same, by adding water (milk), flour, yeast and other products. With double-rising dough, you can prepare Easter bread, bread and pogaca, tutmanik, etc. Pizzas, donuts and a variety of sweets are prepared with a dough, which is left to rise once.
Shortbread pastry dough
The main ingredients of shortbread pastry dough are sugar, butter and flour. You can also add sour cream, eggs, nuts, raisins, vanilla sugar, cocoa, lemon peel, etc. Such dough is prepared quick enough. Then you need to put it in the refrigerator, by wrapping it in cling film. The dough should be left for about 30 minutes. Open and closed pies, cakes, biscuits and tartlets are prepared from it.
Biscuit Dough
The main ingredients for biscuit dough are eggs, flour and sugar. You can also add cocoa, fruit, nuts, etc.
Sponge cake is usually used to make cakes, pastries, rolls.
Puff pastry
The classic puff pastry is made from butter and flour. The more fat content in the butter, the richer and crispier the baked goods will be. Puff pastry is best suited with sweet and savory fillings. Croissants, strudels and Napoleon cake are made from it. Various pies with fruit, berries, cottage cheese, meat, white cheese, etc can also be prepared from it.
Steamed dough
It is prepared by boiling the flour with oil or salt. Then the eggs are added. Baked goods are hollow on the inside with a hard crust on top.
It is used to make eclairs, profiteroles and a variety of sweet and savory pastries, as well as delicious desserts.
Tips for preparing different types of dough
If you make dough with yeast, then one of the main rules is the absence of drafts and the room should be warm enough. All the ingredients must be at the same temperature, so that the yeast dough can rise well.
The temperature of the liquid when preparing the dough must be around 35°C, so that the yeast can be activated. If the temperature is higher, the yeast will lose its properties. If it is low, it will not activate.
Yeast dough balls are placed apart after forming them. If the dough balls are not far enough from each other, the baked goods will not rise well and may not even bake.
The butter or other fat must be melted in advance, so that it cools down a little. Bread and pogaca with butter are best prepared with milk, so that they become tastier.
If the cake is large and tall, then it should be baked on a lower heat.
All fat is added at the end of kneading the dough.
If there are more yolks in the dough, it will be more crumbly, with a pleasant yellow color.
To make a bread more appetizing, it is better to spread it on top with egg yolks mixed with milk.
It can happen that the dough is sticky - cover it with baking paper, it will be easier to roll it out.
If, according to the recipe, it is necessary to add raisins or dried fruit in the dough, then sprinkle them with flour.
By increasing the amount of fat in the dough, the baked goods will not dry out for a long time and will be more crumbly.
Fresh yeast must be used. If you use old yeast, the baked goods will have a slight alcohol smell.
Good baked goods also depend on the quality of the flour. Good flour should not be moist, it should be white to creamy.
The dough will activate better if you cover it with cling film and then place it in a draft free room. You can use a slightly heated oven for this.
After the dough rises, it approximately doubles in volume.
Cocoa, cinnamon and other spices are best mixed with sugar or flour. This way, they are better distributed in the dough.
If you are making a fruit pie or rolls, add some starch.
Baked goods should be brushed with egg before being placed in the oven.
Before baking, the oven should be well heated. Never place them in a cold oven.
To prevent the bottom of the cake from burning, place a bowl of water in the very bottom of the oven.
The finished baked goods should be slightly springy when pressed gently.
If you want the baked goods to be soft after baking, spread them with melted butter or vegetable oil and cover them. If you prefer a crispy crust, then you don't need to cover and grease.
If there is too much liquid in the dough, then the baked goods will be flatter.
If the dough is very hard, then it ferments weakly, the baking is dense and does not rise when baking.
When you replace water with milk, cream or kefir, you will get aromatic, fluffy and beautiful cakes.
With a very large amount of sugar, the baked goods brown quickly and their core is underbaked.
If the number of eggs is increased, then the pies will be tastier and more crumbly.
Never overdo the yeast in the dough, otherwise the pastries will smell unpleasant.
And to help you out, check out all of our classic dough recipes.
