Functions of ingredients in baking. Cooking Tricks for Dough

Butter is a very useful product. It is difficult to imagine at least one baking recipe in which this ingredient would not be added. However, it should be borne in mind that it is beneficial for the body only in small dosages. But delicious pies and buns contain quite a lot of it. That is why we do not notice how we gain weight. Today we want to talk about how to replace butter in baking. Perhaps lower-calorie supplements will allow you to get a similar result, but at the same time, the products will greatly benefit. Let's figure it out.

Benefit or harm

Delicious, melt-in-your-mouth butter... It's hard to imagine life without it. However, the use of this product sometimes needs to be limited. This primarily applies to people over 40 years of age, as well as people who monitor their weight. What else could be the reasons that a person refuses to use oil? There are several of them:

• lactose intolerance;
• vegetarianism and the rejection of animal fats;
• healthy lifestyle and preference for low-calorie foods;
• chronic diseases (pancreatitis, cholecystitis);
• some people just don't like the taste of animal fats.

Why you should limit butter consumption

First of all, because it is a very high-calorie product. There are about 700 kcal per 100 g. Of course, no one is going to eat it with spoons, but it’s not so easy to break away from delicious homemade pastries. This is how, disguised in the product, it enters your body, being deposited on the walls of blood vessels. But this is not its only disadvantage:

• butter contains a lot of harmful saturated fats;
• it contains a large amount of cholesterol, which, in turn, is dangerous because its excess leads to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques;
• abuse of this product is the path to a heart attack or stroke.

The most unexpected choice

Speaking about how to replace butter in baking, many people remember different things, but no one thinks about avocados. This amazing fruit can be a great base for making cookies. Did not know? Then keep wondering. almost 4 times less butter. It contains unsaturated vegetable for our body. But that's not all. This wonderful fruit gives us vitamin K and coarse fibers.

How to use an avocado if there is nothing else to replace butter in baking? To do this, the fruits just need to be crushed and added to the dough by analogy with butter. It will turn out no worse, but much more useful.

Vegetable oil

The most obvious option if you are looking for a substitute for butter in baking. At the same time, the taste of finished products will remain almost the same. Vegetable oils contain much less. The figures are significant: the difference is about 10 times. But it is they who increase the level of cholesterol in the blood. The pricing policy also speaks for using vegetable fats.

If you still hesitate and think, butter is in baking, then decide once to try to cook the dish in a new way. The result will simply surprise. For a lot less, you'll get a similar product. Since sunflower and olive oils are the best alternatives to butter, we will now tell you how to transfer one into the other without losing the quality of the final product.

home laboratory

You can create real miracles in your kitchen. Do you want to make cookies in the evening, the recipe says butter, but you don’t have it? It doesn't matter, every housewife has sunflower. We take out a bottle (preferably odorless) and get down to business. We need 100 g of butter, but how much vegetable oil will it be? Just do not try to pour the same amount of liquid product into the dough. The ratio is as follows:

• 5 g butter = ¾ tsp. vegetable;
• 30 g = one and a half tablespoons;
• 75 g = ¼ cup;
• 150 g = ½ cup;
• 200 g = ¾ cup.

Now you know exactly how you can replace butter with vegetable oil in baking. In fact, this is the same fat in its purest form.

Large selection of vegetable fats

Every housewife knows what role butter plays in a recipe. How to replace it, sometimes you have to think long enough. Sunflower is a good option, but it has a specific aroma, and refined is devoid of many useful properties. When including such fats in recipes, be sure to reduce their amount by 20%. Or you can use the list above.

It is a great substitute for butter when preparing main dishes. Sunflower is more often used for baking, but in general it all depends on your preferences. In addition, if on occasion you see corn in the store or be sure to take it. They have a very delicate taste and are perfect for making pastries, cakes and cookies.

Soybean oil

This product is great as a substitute for butter. Baking is simply wonderful, with a delicate taste. That is, it is practically a vegetable analogue of animal fats. However, it should be used with great care due to its high palm oil content. The product is inexpensive and very convenient to use, but rich in saturated fats. Replacing butter with vegetable oil in the dough is almost invisible.

Margarine

At first glance, a very convenient product. At a price much lower than butter, but at the same time, it looks and partially tastes very similar to it. It is with margarine that the dough is most familiar in texture. Therefore, doubting whether it is really possible to replace butter with vegetable oil in baking, housewives choose it. As a result, we have magnificent and beautiful products, but how does this affect our health?

First of all, it should be noted that margarine is a mixture of vegetable and animal fats, and often of poor quality. For sandwiches and cereals, it may still be suitable, but the taste is not very good, so something better is usually used for these purposes. But when heated, all spreads (this name can be read on the packaging of margarine) safely break up into fractions that provoke the growth of cancer cells.

There is another reason why you should not replace butter with margarine. Both of these products contain approximately the same set of fats and cholesterol. That is, if you decide to look for an alternative so as not to put your health and figure at risk, then you need to find other options. How to replace butter with vegetable oil in baking, we described above, you can add tips to your cookbook.

Nuts and seeds

As you can see, such a simple question - "how to replace butter in the dough" - can be considered in a variety of variations. Almonds, hazelnuts or peanuts can be a very worthy alternative to butter, for this they need to be ground to a mushy state. By the way, coconut and cocoa butter are similar. They are used in the same proportion as indicated in the recipe. However, it must be remembered that these products are very high-calorie.

fruit puree

Why do you need butter in the dough? To give it a special softness and tenderness. You will be surprised, but this effect can also be achieved due to the pulp of fruits. A banana or apple is perfect. The first can be simply kneaded into gruel. With apples you have to tinker a little. It is best to remove the peel and bake the fruit in the oven. Then you will need to grind the pulp with a blender and add to the dough. The result is delicious muffins and cupcakes.

Cream and yogurt

Very often, dairy products are the optimal replacement. Butter and cream are two cousins. Both give an exquisite delicate taste. However, cream is less caloric, and the taste of the product is more attractive than with the addition of vegetable oil. Vegetarians or people with lactose intolerance can use soy cream. In this case, you need to add a quarter more product than indicated in the recipe (instead of 100 g of butter, 125 g of cream).

Alternatively, you can use yogurt. In this case, recipes "light" are obtained. There are 80 kcal per 100 g of yogurt, and if we consider oil, then there are already as many as 700 kcal. By analogy, in the case of replacement, it is necessary to use not 100 g of butter, but 150 yogurt. Those who have already tried this recipe say that the quality of the product is no worse. Delicate and airy pies are a great option for tea drinking, even if you are on a diet.

Summing up

As you can see, it is not necessary to use butter when baking. There are dozens of ways to make your dessert delicious and healthy, perfect for baby food. Try making a familiar cookie in a new way. You will definitely fall in love with this taste, and friends will ask for the recipe for a long time.

Yeast dough, also called sour dough, is used to make pies, donuts, pies, kulebyak, cheesecakes, Easter cakes, buns and other products.
Knead the yeast dough in water or milk (whole or diluted with water). The amount of liquid may vary depending on the products for which the dough is intended. Theta baking powder is yeast.
In addition to liquid, baking is added to flour - eggs, butter, sugar and other products that improve the taste and nutritional value of products.
To get tasty and well-baked products from yeast dough, you need to learn how to properly loosen the dough with yeast and skillfully combine it with fillings. So, salty fillings from meat, fish, mushrooms are not suitable for sweet dough and dough flavored with saffron, lemon, cardamom; for sweet fillings, you can not cook salty dough.
Soft dough with a small amount of muffin is prepared in a non-dough way; hard dough and dough with a large amount of muffin are recommended to be made using the sponge method, which improves the loosening of the dough and, consequently, increases the volume and porosity of the products.
In the first variant (see table), a large amount of butter, sugar and eggs are added to the dough, in the second variant - less, in the third variant there is almost no muffin at all. It should be noted that with a decrease in baking, the dosage of water increases for the same amount of flour.
Each option is divided into four recipes according to the size of the prepared portions, which makes it easier to calculate the required amount of products.

Summary table of recipes for yeast dough of different richness.

aa When making pies and other products from unsweetened dough, you need to reduce the amount of sugar indicated in the recipe table by half or more, and slightly increase the amount of water. When changing recipes, the following happens:

excess water - the dough is poorly formed, the product is flat, blurry;

lack of water - the dough ferments poorly, finished products are hard;

replacing water with milk or cream - finished products have a beautiful appearance, their taste improves;

an increase in the amount of fat - finished products are made more crumbly and tasty and do not get stale for a long time;

excess salt - the dough ferments poorly, products acquire a salty taste;

insufficient amount of salt - products are vague, tasteless;

a large amount of sugar - the surface of the product is quickly tinted during baking, and the middle is baked slowly, in addition, the dough does not ferment well; when more than 35% sugar is added, the fermentation of the dough stops completely;

insufficient amount of sugar - pale and slightly sweet products are obtained;

an increase in the number of eggs - products become more magnificent and tasty;

replacing eggs with egg yolks - the products are more crumbly, beautiful yellow in color;

increase in yeast - fermentation is accelerated. Too much yeast gives the products an unpleasant yeasty smell.

aa The amount of yeast indicated in the summary table is calculated for the unpaired method of preparing the dough. With the sponge method, you can give yeast almost 2 times less.

Preparation of yeast dough in a non-dough way.
aa Pour warm milk or warm water (temperature 30 degrees) into the pan and dissolve the yeast. Add salt, sugar, eggs, aromatic substances, sifted flour and knead for 5-8 minutes to get a homogeneous, without lumps, not very steep dough.

aa If the flour absorbs a large amount of water, add some milk or water. Flour before sifting is measured with a glass without tamping.

aa At the end of the kneading, add warmed butter, mix lightly, cover the pan with a lid and put in a warm place for fermentation.

aa During fermentation, alcohol and carbon dioxide are released in the dough, which inhibits the vital activity of yeast. After 2 - 2.5 hours after kneading, when the dough rises strongly, it should be punched. At the same time, accumulated carbon dioxide is removed from the dough and fermentation resumes with renewed vigor. It lasts about 40 - 50 minutes and is considered complete when, after the maximum rise of the test, it begins to lower.

aa Then you need to make a second punch of the finished dough and put it on a floured table or cutting board.

aa The duration of dough fermentation can be adjusted by changing the dosage of yeast and the temperature conditions under which the dough is fermented. A temperature of 28-30 degrees is considered normal for fermentation, when the temperature drops, fermentation slows down, and when it rises, it speeds up. However, it should be borne in mind that at temperatures below 10 degrees and above 55, fermentation completely stops.

Preparation of yeast dough in the sponge method.
aa With this method, a liquid mash, called dough, is first kneaded with a spoon. For kneading, they take the entire norm of warm liquid and yeast and half the norm of flour (according to the recipe).

aa Opara should ferment at a temperature of 28 - 30 degrees from 3 to 3.5 hours, until the maximum rise. During fermentation, bursting bubbles with carbon dioxide appear on the surface of the dough. As soon as the dough begins to settle, the dough should be kneaded on it.

aa All other heated products are added to the dough (eggs mixed with salt, sugar, aromatic substances), the remaining flour is gradually poured in and kneaded for 5-8 minutes until a homogeneous dough is obtained. At the end of the kneading, oil is added, heated to the consistency of thick sour cream; then cover the pan with a lid and put in a warm place for further fermentation. When the dough reaches its maximum rise, which will happen after about an hour, the dough is punched down and laid out on a table sprinkled with flour.

aa The duration of fermentation of dough and dough can be adjusted by changing the temperature conditions during fermentation by placing the pan in a warmer or cooler place.

aa For better fermentation of the dough and the splendor of the products, it is desirable to knead both sponge and non-dough dough not once, but twice; after the first rise of the test and after the second. You can also make a punch down dough, after which you need to let it rise again.

aa You can improve the taste and aroma of sweet yeast dough by adding aromatic substances. In a dough made from 2 cups of flour, you can add the zest from 1 orange or 1/2 lemon. or 1/2 nutmeg, or 2 - 3 fruits of finely ground cardamom, 1 - 2 g of vanilla sugar or 10 - 15 vanillin crystals. Aromatic substances are added at the beginning of the dough kneading, after grinding them.

aa What should be done if the dough does not ferment? The dough cooled below 10 degrees must be heated to 30 degrees, but in such a way that during heating it does not come into contact with objects that have a temperature above 50 degrees.

aa Too warm dough must be cooled to 30 degrees and add fresh yeast.

aa If too much salt or sugar is put into the dough, fermentation will slow down or stop. In this case, you need to knead a new portion of the dough and mix it with salted or oversweetened dough.

aa The dough may not ferment due to poor yeast quality. To test the fermentation ability of yeast, prepare a small portion of dough and sprinkle it with a thin layer of flour. If after 30 - 40 minutes no cracks appear in the flour layer, then the quality of the yeast is poor. In this case, you should take good quality yeast.

Test section.
aa The finished dough after punching should be put out of the pan on a cleanly washed, dry and floured board or kitchen table top, then cut off a piece of dough, put it on a floured board and press it on top with your hand so that it becomes flat; then connect the edges of the dough in the center and turn over so that the junction of the dough, which is called a lock, seam or sluice, is on the bottom and the smooth side is on top. The piece of dough will be round.

aa The dough can be placed on a greased sheet or rolled out with a rolling pin into pie sheets. In this case, before rolling out, you need to let the dough lie down for 3 - 5 minutes.

aa In the manufacture of small products, a piece of dough is cut off and its edges are connected on all sides in the center, the dough is rolled out in the form of a long wick, which is also called a tourniquet, this tourniquet is cut into even pieces. For very small products, a thinner roll is rolled out, for larger ones - thicker.

aa The quality of the products will be better if you first roll the pieces of dough into balls with circular movements of the palms on a table lightly dusted with flour or lightly oiled.

aa For round-shaped products, rolled balls should be placed on a baking sheet, greased with oil, at such a distance from each other that they do not touch each other during proofing and baking. The baking sheet must be lubricated evenly, otherwise the products will blur in very greasy places, and burn in insufficiently fatty places.

aa For non-spherical buns, rolled dough balls are placed on a table sprinkled with flour and after 5-8 minutes they begin to cut them.

Proofing.
aa After punching and during cutting, the dough becomes more dense. To prevent the products from turning out dense, baking sheets with molded dough should be placed in a warm, damp place (without drafts) and covered with a napkin.

aa Under these conditions, additional fermentation will occur in the dough, which is called proofing.

aa During proofing, the buns expand and become fluffy due to the formation of carbon dioxide inside them. The proofing of small and rich products lasts longer than large and less rich products. You should learn by touch to correctly determine the end of proofing.

aa If the proofing is insufficient, the products are small, not lush, poorly baked, heavy and cracked. With excessive proofing, the products are vague, and the crumb has uneven large pores.

Lubrication and sprinkling of products.
aa To improve the appearance of the product, its surface is smeared with an egg at the end of proofing.

aa Pour the egg into a cup and mix the yolk with the protein thoroughly with a fork; then, with a brush, a feather or a tube folded from gauze, carefully grease the surface, making sure not to crush the dough and so that the egg does not spill onto the baking sheet. To save eggs, you can slightly dilute the lubricant with water or milk, but this will worsen the shine of the product. The best gloss is obtained when lubricated with yolks alone.

aa After lubricating the dough with an egg, sprinkle it with finely chopped almonds, nuts, and granulated sugar. It is also good to sprinkle products with streusel.

aa Products that, after baking, are glazed with fondant or sprinkled with powdered sugar are lubricated not with egg grease, but with butter, which gives the products a pleasant aroma.

Baking and finishing products.
aa The duration of baking depends on the size, shape of the product and its richness.

aa Small, low and low-fat products are baked faster than large, tall and with a lot of muffin.

aa Small products - weighing 50 - 100 g - are baked at a temperature of 240 - 260 degrees for 8 - 15 minutes, products weighing 500 - 1000 g - for 20 - 50 minutes at a temperature of 200 - 240 degrees.

aa The readiness of the product is determined by the color of the crust or by a break, or with the help of a wooden unpainted stick. If the stick, stuck into the product and immediately removed, remains dry and raw dough does not stick to it, then this indicates the end of baking.

aa Some products need to be sprinkled with powdered sugar after baking. If there is no powdered sugar, you can grind lump sugar in a mortar.

aa Sprinkle products should be through a strainer or gauze.

aa It is necessary to glaze with lipstick not completely cooled products.

"All About Yeast" - article by Yael Shibolet


Yeasts are single-celled organisms belonging to the fungi family. "Wild" yeast is everywhere, including in the air. They feed, produce energy, produce by-products, reproduce. Yeast feeds on sugars, and in their absence, they break down starches. A by-product of the vital activity of yeast (for which, in essence, they are used) is carbon dioxide, which is released in the form of tiny bubbles. These bubbles are trapped in a network of gluten, a protein substance found in flour.
When gas accumulates (or when heated), the bubbles increase in size and rise to the top. Together with them, the dough also rises. This is what is meant when they say that the dough is suitable.

Yeast operates under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Aerobic conditions require access to oxygen. In the process of aerobic respiration, yeast produces a lot of energy, releases carbon dioxide and reproduces. Under anaerobic conditions, access to oxygen is minimal, so the yeast produces much less energy, emits much less carbon dioxide, and produces alcohol and various acids. With a small amount of oxygen, yeast reproduction is also minimal. This process is called fermentation.

The dough is a closed system in which yeast lives, feeds, reproduces and dies. Their rate of reproduction depends on the temperature and the amount of food (sugars) available. At high temperatures (30-35 degrees and above), the reproduction rate increases, at low temperatures it decreases. Another factor that slows down the rate of yeast reproduction is the salinity of the environment. In addition, the waste products of yeast (carbon dioxide, alcohol, etc.) also slow down the rate of their reproduction.

Yeast reproduces by cell division. One cell is capable of dividing 20-25 times, that is, creating from 20 to 25 new cells. The lifespan of one generation ranges from one hour to seven hours, depending on the environment and the age of the mother cell.

Dough proofing
The purpose of dough proofing is to stretch the web of gluten with the help of bubbles of carbon dioxide released by the yeast. Thanks to these bubbles, increasing in size and trying to rise to the top, the dough "swells" in volume and becomes elastic. Smell and taste also depend on this process.

First proofing
Yeast activity in dough is subject to rapid change. At first,
at the first kneading and first proofing, the yeast is in an aerobic state, there is a lot of oxygen and nutrients around it, and there is relatively little yeast. They multiply at a fast pace (this depends mainly on the initial amount of yeast, the amount of salt and sugar in the dough, and the temperature). The dough can be baked after the first proofing, but then it will be inelastic, and its pores will be inhomogeneous.

Second proofing
Over time, conditions change: there are fewer nutrients and oxygen - oxygen is displaced by carbon dioxide, which slows down the process of yeast reproduction. True, there are now many more of them in the test, but they do not multiply. In order to cause a second fermentation (i.e., so that the dough comes up a second time), it is necessary to recreate the conditions for aerobic activity. To do this, carbon dioxide should be removed from the risen dough, replacing it with fresh oxygen. To achieve this, the dough is kneaded with hands, starting from the center and going over the entire surface. The goal is to allow fresh oxygen to penetrate the dough so that the yeast can continue its activity and spread evenly throughout the dough. In addition, thanks to this action, the gluten network remains tense and elastic.
As a rule, the second proofing is faster, because the dough has a lot more yeast and a much higher amount of carbon dioxide released.
The dough, which is baked after the second proofing, has an elastic structure and a richer taste and aroma. Its pores are uniform, and their size depends on the amount of water added to the dough.

It is important to know:
x Increasing the yeast content in the dough (say, twice) will not lead to the same increase in the fermentation rate - both due to the struggle of yeast for available resources (oxygen and sugars), and because the more yeast, the more carbon dioxide they produce, and he slows them down.
x Water accelerates yeast activity. It helps them move freely through the dough, dissolves nutrients and promotes their enzymatic activity. If there is a lot of water in the dough, it activates the yeast, and then the dough fits better, and its pores become larger and more beautiful. When fats or sugar are added to the dough and, in order to compensate for changes in its texture, the amount of water is reduced, this interferes with the activity of yeast.
x Changes in temperature can speed up or slow down the rate of fermentation (outside of yeast propagation, which requires the presence of oxygen). Fermentation rate at 30 degrees is three times faster than at 20 degrees, but fermentation rate at 40 degrees is only twice as fast as at 30 degrees. At temperatures above 50 degrees, fermentation stops. At a temperature of 0 degrees, yeast activity also stops. Yeast can survive freezing, but only if it happens quickly enough. Slow freezing can damage cell structure. French bakers believe that the dough is best suited at 27 degrees. At this temperature, the rate of gas evolution is quite high - the dough is of excellent quality, and the bread from it is very tasty and fragrant. At a temperature of 35 degrees, the dough rises faster, but bitter components are released that affect the taste; in addition, the dough becomes more viscous.
x If the salt content in the yeast solution is above 1.5%, this will neutralize their activity. Too high a sugar content also interferes with the activity of the yeast. The concentration of sugar within 5% contributes to the fermentation process, and the concentration above 10% interferes.

Types of yeast
Baker's yeast belongs to the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae. They are grown in an oxygen-rich environment, in special containers with sugar beets, nitrogen mixtures and minerals. These fungi appear as a foamy coating, which is cleaned of impurities using a centrifuge and water. Then the resulting material is dehydrated, compacted and sold in this form.
Fresh yeast (in the form of cubes). When baking bread, they are most often used precisely, as they create the perfect taste and texture. The moisture content of fresh yeast is about 70%. Of the commercially available yeast, this type provides the strongest fermentation. Fresh yeast can be stored in the refrigerator for up to six weeks at temperatures below 10 degrees.
Granulated yeast. With dehydration up to 66%, yeast will be obtained in the form of small granules, familiar to us as "Shimrit". You need to use the same amount of granulated yeast as fresh, but they are weaker. The advantage is that this yeast can be added directly to the flour, thus ensuring an even distribution throughout the dough, while fresh yeast must first be dissolved in the liquid. Yeast in the form of granules can be stored in the refrigerator at temperatures below 10 degrees for about six weeks.
Dry yeast (only 8% moisture) is obtained through a dehydration process. It is recommended to put them half as much as fresh ones.

Adviсe
- You can not mix salt directly with yeast (and also add it to the yeast solution). A relatively high concentration of salt will neutralize the yeast. Salt is added at the very end, when all the ingredients are already in the dough. Then its percentage is small, and this will not interfere with the yeast.
- Although the packaging of fresh yeast indicates that the recommended amount of yeast is 50 g per kilogram of flour, it is better to put them in half (25-30 g per kilogram). By doubling the portion of yeast, we will not make the dough rise twice as fast. Moreover, it can give the product an undesirable aftertaste.
- Make sure you get the prescription from a trusted source. Carefully observe the proportions indicated in it. Do not add flour to the dough, even if it looks too wet and sticky. A long and vigorous kneading will allow the gluten to absorb the liquid and develop well. A large amount of water is necessary for the normal activity of the yeast. If you add flour, the dough will become denser and less tasty.
- The dough is best suited at a temperature of 27 degrees. At too high a temperature, it will acquire a bitter taste.
- Do not use the oven or microwave to increase the fermentation temperature, forcing this process artificially can affect the aroma and texture of the baked goods. Therefore, if there is time, the usual, "natural" process is recommended. Using an oven or microwave can bring the temperature up to 50 degrees or more in some places, which will cause irreparable damage to the yeast, and therefore to the volume and texture of the bread. Room temperature is sufficient for proofing.
- The dough must rise for at least two and a half to three hours (yeast cell division time) in order for the total amount of yeast in the dough to double. Yes, it is possible to increase the rate of yeast reproduction, but in the manufacture of bread, organic mixtures are also of no small importance, which form slowly and give the finished product a rich taste and aroma.
- The first proofing of the dough (under optimal conditions) should last about an hour so that the yeast "eats" the entire supply of sugars and begins to break down the starch.
- Between the first and second proofing, it is recommended to lightly knead the dough so that oxygen enters it.

And now - to work!

Dough

We measure the amount of yeast required according to the recipe.

To translate the proportions, we use the formula:

amount of fresh yeast *0.41 = amount of dry or dry amount * 2.42 = amount of fresh

Which roughly gives the ratio:

50 g fresh yeast = 20 g dry (or 2 tablespoons flush with the edges) = 50 g granulated (4 tablespoons).

Place the yeast in a transparent container, add 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp flour. Add some warm liquid - 50 ml is enough. Stir thoroughly, cover with a film or lid and set to approach.

Until then, let's get on with the flour.
Let's check the date on the package - flour d.b. fresh.
For a dough of 1 kg of flour, we need a bowl or pan of at least 6 liters!
Sift the amount of flour we need according to the recipe into a bowl, preferably twice - the more oxygen in the flour, the better the dough will fit.

They sifted the flour - they looked like yeast. In a transparent glass, we see that the volume of the contents has doubled, at the bottom there is a layer of a dark mixture, at the top there is a light foam. Great.

If the recipe calls for eggs, shake them with a fork. If butter or margarine - melt to a state of sour cream. Any components d.b. room temperature - and eggs and sour cream-kefir. This should be taken care of in advance, and water and milk should be heated. Mix sugar, eggs, fat, liquid together. But the salt is dissolved separately in a spoonful of water.

Pour yeast into a bowl with flour, mix, now add everything except salt - knead again. Only now add water with salt (do not pour in one place). We start kneading the dough. We dip our hands in flour or grease with vegetable oil. We act with the heel of the palm, roll the dough into a ball, knead it, turn it over ... The dough seems to live in the hands - that's why the fairy tale about the kolobok that ran away appeared. Tired? Check the kneading: grab a piece of dough from the side and begin to gently stretch it with your fingers. The dough should be smooth, silky and stretch to the transparency of good porcelain. Is it torn? Let's mix some more. Kneaded out? Great.
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In the presence of a mixer, the process is simplified: knead the dough at low speed for 10-15 minutes with the “guitar” nozzle (for dough) or the “hook” nozzle for thick dough.
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Pour a little vegetable oil into a bowl, put a ball of dough there, turn a couple of times (so that the oil covers the entire dough). We close the bowl on top with a damp towel (it should not touch the dough) or cling film and leave it alone in a warm place without drafts.

How to check that the dough has risen enough? When the dough has greatly increased in volume, press lightly on the raised dome with your finger, make a hole 0.5 cm deep. If the hole is leveled, then the dough is still fermenting. And if not, we’ll crush it and let it come up again.

We cut the dough that has come up for the second time into the necessary portions (I cut it with a sharp knife), stuff it, put the finished products on a sheet and let it rise again with the filling.

Next, bake or fry.
We heat the oven in advance to 180 degrees C. It is advisable to put in the oven what is called a “baking stone” - it can be a purchased stone, clay brick or tile. We heat them together with the oven.
The role of this tile is to eliminate temperature fluctuations when the oven is opened. The second thing you need is a container of water. This provides the right humidity in the oven and the products are softer and lighter.

For those who want to try it out - a master class of baking a rich stritzel

Now - a little about the recipes.

My opinion on this is:
of course, you can bake everything from one, universal dough.
But I believe that for savory pies and pies that are fried in oil, you need to use the simplest dough, but with the addition of alcohol. Such a dough will absorb less fat, but there will be plenty of it anyway.
For pies that are baked in the oven, the amount of muffin should be small, it is best to grease them with soft butter on top. This makes the pies more airy.
Well, sweet ones - only from puff yeast or semi-puff. A large amount of baking requires a large amount of yeast, and this worsens the taste of baking, it turns out to be heavy and quickly stale.

One recipe from the "universal" series.

I have tried it many times - in principle, suitable for all occasions.

500 g of flour, 15 g of fresh yeast, 300 g of sour cream (or 1.5 cups of kefir / milk / water), 1 egg, 3 tbsp. sugar, 100 g butter, 0.5 tsp. salt.

If we fry the pies in a pan - add 2 tbsp. spoons of alcohol / vodka. We make dough in milk with water.
If we bake in the oven, we make it on sour cream and grease it with butter before baking, do not sting ...
It is very important to be able to "read" the recipe correctly.

As in architecture, there is a “golden ratio” in semi-dough yeast dough.
It says: for 500 grams of flour - 10 grams of yeast - 1 tbsp. sugar - 25 g butter - 2 yolks - 1 tsp salt - 250 ml. (300 ml) of liquid (water or milk). Muffins - no more than that. And no less than water!
Any deviation from this requires certain actions in order to compensate for the "harmful" effect of baking.
Namely: if sour cream or kefir is added to the dough instead of water, and even margarine, the amount of fat will significantly exceed the optimal level (in this recipe there will be 150 g). It's a lot. Therefore, the amount of yeast has been increased to 15 gr. If you make this dough in water / milk, then 10 grams of yeast is enough.

But just increasing the amount of yeast is not enough. Oil and eggs should not be added at the first batch - fat prevents the formation of gluten. You need to let the dough rise for the first time, and then add fat during the punching. Thus, the dough will rise well and be light.

RULE NUMBER 1:

If there is a lot of fat in the dough according to the recipe, it is added ONLY after the first rise of the dough.

About eggs in the dough.

Protein impairs the taste and structure of the dough, so it is best to use the yolks alone. Each recipe egg is replaced with 2 yolks.

RULE NUMBER 2:

Dough with a large amount of muffin is made in a sponge way.

According to the universal recipe I have given, a good, lush dough is obtained. But when they make sweet pies out of it, it seems too “simple” in contrast to the sweet filling.
And then I want to add more butter, more sugar and eggs to the dough. There are many pastry recipes. But regardless of whether it is written in the recipe or not, you need to make such a dough. sponge method.


Double method of kneading dough.

We prepare the yeast and sift the flour as described above. We pour out half of the flour, add yeast and all the liquid that is required by the recipe to the bowl. Intensively stir the dough with a spoon or a rake until strands of dough begin to stretch from the walls of the bowl - a sign of gluten formation (or mix in a mixer for 5 minutes at low speed).

Now close and leave to approach. The steam fits quickly. A sign of readiness is an increase in volume by 3 times. The dough comes up in very large bubbles, becoming like a fishing net. Now add the remaining flour, baking, knead and let rise again. Next, as usual.

Recipe for semi-puff pastry, from the book of Elena Molokhovets. Tested many times Very suitable for apple and plum pies, as well as pies made from fresh cabbage, mushrooms or cottage cheese.

The dough should be prepared the night before.

600 gr flour
250 ml milk
1 tsp dry yeast
2 yolks
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Sahara
25 gr butter.

Mix all the products, knead the dough (but you can not be too zealous, because the dough will rise for a long time and the gluten will have time to develop), cover the bowl with a wet towel or film (make 2-3 holes with a knife), refrigerate overnight or for 8 hours as minimum
.
If suddenly the dough has not risen, but usually it rises well) take it out for a while, let it rise, knead and cool in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, knead, roll into a rectangle.
Brush the surface of the dough with very soft butter. Fold in half.
Lubricate again.
Fold in four: right quarter to center, then left quarter to center, then "slam the book."
Place the dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Get it. Roll out only in length, expand, repeat everything from the very beginning.
Remove to refrigerator.
Repeat again: spread-fold-spread-fold and remove again for 10 minutes.
It will take about 100 grams of butter for everything.

Everything, the dough is ready.

Roll it out in length, cut it as needed, make pies, let it rise - and you can bake.

Despite the fact that it may look intimidating, in fact it is simple, because with a yeast dough, flaws do not play such a role as with an unleavened puff. It will still turn out to be a cake. And it will turn out delicious!

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Dough products are very popular all over the world. They have long been present at both the lordly and peasant tables. Today it is impossible to find such a person who has never tried bread, pies, cookies, muffins, cakes, pastries, buns, noodles, gingerbread and other unleavened and rich flour products. All of them differ in shape, taste, and filling.

Often, the recipe indicates that eggs are present in the list of ingredients for preparing the dough. Usually chicken eggs are used, but eggs of other poultry can be used instead(quails, geese, ducks, turkeys), as well as ostrich and pigeon eggs. What are the properties of this baking component and is it possible to prepare a quality product without its presence? Let's figure it out together.

Why put eggs in the dough

When preparing dough products, we usually stick to the recipe, although experienced chefs often improvise with the ingredients. But by adding additional components such as sugar, salt, spices, flavors, baking powder, raisins, nuts and the like, we do not forget about the basic products, without which it is impossible to form a real flour product.

The list of mandatory baking ingredients includes flour, which in most cases is mixed with a certain liquid or fat. It is impossible to make a real dough without its basic ingredients.

Many types of flour products also involve the addition of eggs, although in some cases cooks do without them.

Why do they put eggs in the dough and what function do they perform?

1. Adding eggs increases the nutritional value of the dough and its calorie content. This product of animal origin contains many valuable proteins, amino acids, fats, vitamins, microelements that have a beneficial effect on immunity and vital activity, and the body's metabolism.
2. Due to the presence of eggs, the taste and aroma of the flour product becomes more saturated and appetizing.
3. The presence of yolks in the dough improves its color, making the crumb and crust brighter.
4. The protein or proteins found in eggs can act as a stabilizer, binder, thanks to which the flour product retains the desired shape during and after baking (for example, stabilization of biscuit dough). The crust of the finished product is more dense, crispy.
5. mitigating role. In order for the dough to turn out tender, soft and not dry, certain “softeners” must be present in it, that is, foods high in fat. Egg yolks can act as a softener.
6. Sealing role. If you add only protein (without whipping), the pastry will become more solid, dense, and crumble less. A biscuit whipped on proteins without adding fat will turn out to be somewhat “rubber” in structure.
7. loosening role. Beaten eggs are a good physical leavening agent. During baking, hot air vapors present in the dough expand, forming voids (pores) in the dough, which are fixed during the heat treatment process. As a result, cupcakes, biscuits are crumbly, airy, lush.

Attention!

A poor-quality and rotten egg can hopelessly ruin pastries, so it is advisable to check this product before adding it to the dough. First, break the egg into a separate saucer, make sure of its quality (it is determined by smell and appearance), and then combine with other products.

In standard recipes, culinary specialists usually mean the use of medium-sized chicken eggs, weighing 47-50 g.

How to replace eggs in lean and other pastries

Everyone likes to enjoy delicious cupcakes, pies, cookies, cakes, pancakes, donuts, including people who fast, suffer from allergies and follow a vegetarian diet. Therefore, the question is quite relevant for them, what can replace eggs in baking?

In addition, there are situations when you need to knead the dough, but there were no eggs in the refrigerator, and there is no opportunity or desire to run after them to the store. A resourceful culinary specialist will get out of any situation and will always find a full-fledged replacement for many products. At the same time, the quality, structure and appearance of the finished product will not suffer.


Few people know that a fluffy, soft and tasty pie base, a cupcake can be obtained without the presence of eggs. We list the subtleties of replacing eggs in baking:

1. Splendor and volume of delicacy can be given not due to beaten eggs, but adding baking powder, soda slaked with vinegar, oil(cooking oil). One egg in a pie will replace 1 tbsp. l. butter (butter, vegetable), 2 tsp. baking powder + 2 tsp. l. water.
2. As a binder, put a quarter cup of tofu, or mashed ½ banana, 3 tbsp. l. apple (pumpkin, apricot, plum) puree.
3. To bind the dough, you can use oatmeal steamed with hot water (2 tablespoons), or 3 tablespoons. l. pea (chickpea) flour mixed with the same amount of water. An analogue can be 1 tsp. soy flour + 1 tbsp. l. serum, water.
4. Mix until smooth 1 tbsp. a spoonful of starch (potato or corn) with the same amount of milk powder and 30 g of water, then add to the dough. Instead of an egg, you can use just 2 tbsp. tablespoons of starch without water. Due to the presence of corn starch, the dough turns out to be smooth, “obedient” and plastic; it is a pleasure to make cookies, pie and pies out of it. Even easier is to buy a special Ener-G supplement in the store, which already contains starch with baking powder and tapioca flour. Rub until foaming 1 tsp. Ener-G + 2 tbsp. l. warm water before kneading the dough.
5. Instead of 1 chicken egg, take 2 tbsp. l. whole (not skimmed) milk mixed with 0.5 tsp. soda.
6. For softness of the dough, you can put fat-containing products. One egg will be equivalent to 3 tbsp. tablespoons of high-fat mayonnaise, the same amount of nut or other butter.
7. Instead of 1 egg, you can put 1 tbsp. l. butter (vegetable oil) or the same amount of fat sour cream (cream) +1 tbsp. l. potato starch mixed with the same volume of water. These components should be well beaten and combined with cottage cheese and flour, according to the proportions. If according to the recipe you need to put 3 eggs, respectively, you need to increase the amount of the above ingredients by 3 times.
8. not bad ground flax seed can act as a stabilizer and binder(1 tablespoon) soaked in hot water (2 tablespoons) and aged to a gel state.

Instead of fresh eggs, use and dry egg powder combined with water, but this applies to those cases when we are not talking about lean or dietary nutrition.

How to replace an egg when greasing baking

If you care not only about the taste, but also about the appearance of buns and pies, you must have wondered how to replace the egg for greasing the baking surface.


After all, you really want the lean product to turn out to be ruddy, beautiful, and look appetizing. Do not be surprised, we have found a replacement in this case too.

For example, confectionery product can be smeared with milk, or a mixture of milk and sugar(in proportion 1:1, 2:1).

For a lean version, strong sweet tea is suitable.(a quarter cup of tea + 1 tbsp. sugar or honey) or just sweet water.

Glossy shine will add melted butter, vegetable oil, sour cream grease or mayonnaise. To add more brightness to butter or sour cream, add a pinch of turmeric powder.

Do not forget that you need to lubricate the product with an exceptionally thin layer of oil (cream, sour cream).

Using these simple secrets, you can be sure that none of their guests will guess that there are no eggs in the pastries. But remember that it is advisable to use these recommendations when you need to replace a small amount of this ingredient (2-3 pieces), or use recipes where this protein product is not a soloist.

You are unlikely to get an original plastic biscuit wrapped in a roll, or a protein pie in the absence of eggs.

But when it comes to Russian pancakes, yeast buns, air pancakes, crumbly muffins, cookies and soft cheesecakes, the possibilities of egg substitutes are fully justified. Thanks to substitutes, pastries can acquire new flavors(for example, fruit, nut), its calorie content and cholesterol content will decrease. So the bonuses sometimes exceed the disadvantages, and flour desserts and pies will delight you with tenderness, alluring airiness, softness and crumbliness.

Such a dough has a denser structure than a product made from butter. It is great for making tortillas, pies, cookies and cakes (during Lent). The time for making puff pastry takes no more than 30 minutes of free time, which makes it affordable even for busy housewives.

The finished product can be frozen. It can be stored for 2-3 months and used for its intended purpose. From the puff mass in vegetable oil, delicious sugar “bows”, khachapuri, open pies, sweet and savory cakes, as well as strudel and pasties are obtained.

For the manufacture of puff mass, you can use olive, sunflower or corn oil. The main thing is that it be a refined product, as a strong aroma will spoil the taste of the finished baking and give the dish an unpleasant smell.

Ingredients:

Flour (2 tbsp.);

Vegetable oil (0.5 tbsp and 2 tbsp);

Salt (a pinch);

Water (0.5 tbsp.).

Cooking:

1. We combine vegetable oil (0.5 tbsp.) And cold water. Mix liquid ingredients.

2. Pour the resulting mixture into a bowl with sifted flour. Add a pinch of salt.

3. We collect all the components in a tight lump. We beat the dough with our hands so that the mass becomes homogeneous.

4. We stretch the workpiece into a thin layer, lubricate it with the remaining vegetable oil.

5. We fold the workpiece several times, carefully roll it out, cover it with fat again.

When eggs and butter are added to the yeast dough, the finished products acquire the qualities of rich pies. Eggs make bread lighter and moister, while butter makes it more tender. Depending on the amount of any of these ingredients taken, as well as on the way they are administered, the results are very varied and very impressive.

By simply mixing a few eggs and a moderate amount of butter into the dough, we get a roll with a soft crust and a moist yellow crumb. The more eggs and butter you add, the more pronounced these characteristics will be. The classic brioche, which has a higher proportion of eggs and butter than any other bread, has an incomparable golden and soft texture.

Like any other, the dough with eggs and butter is quite suitable for subsequent changes. By adding a little more flour when kneading, we get a rather steep dough that can be rolled out, cut into various shapes from it, put them on top of each other, forming complex structures. Butter dough is an excellent basis for aromatic additives. The bread combines both of these options: bright yellow dough flavored with saffron, with additions of raisins and almonds, cut into circles of various sizes; stacked on top of each other, they form a complex multi-layered loaf. Butter dough is perfectly used for stuffed products; they can be spicy fillings, such as cervelat wrapped in strips of brioche dough, or sweet, like a mixture of nuts and fruits sandwiched in brioche dough in a Viennese kugel chhopfe.

Striking results are obtained by spreading the dough with butter, instead of kneading it with flour. If the risen dough is rolled out, generously brushed with butter, then folded several times and rolled out again, as a result, exquisite airy layers are formed during baking. Such yeast puff pastry is often cut into various shapes - small or large, simple or complicated - often wrapped with sweet or savory fillings, resulting in delicious breakfast or coffee loaves, commonly known as Danish pastries.

Relatively small amounts of butter and egg white also change the texture of the bread. Bagels - small buns shaped like a ring - are prepared from such a test. After a little proofing, the dough is boiled for a few seconds in boiling water, then baked, as a result of which the bagels get a viscous texture and do not have a hard crust.

Consider the example of preparing a simple cake in the form of a ring of dough with butter and eggs.

By adding eggs and butter to the basic yeast dough, we get a rich bread with a softer crust and a cake-like texture. Eggs and butter make the dough very soft. But during proofing and baking, the eggs will bind the dough and it will be able to hold the shape given to it, such as this ring or braid.

A large amount of fat in the dough can act as a barrier to the interaction of flour and yeast and slow down the fermentation process. In order for the yeast to do its job without hindrance, the dough needs to be prepared in two stages, as shown in the photo here. At the first stage, a liquid dough is prepared from yeast, sugar, milk and about 1/3 portion of flour; steam should fit. At the second stage, when fermentation is in full swing, eggs, softened butter and the rest of the flour are added and the dough is kneaded.

Since the dough with eggs and butter is much softer than regular dough, it is beaten out more carefully. And to prevent the butter from melting from the heat of your palms, which will make the dough sticky and difficult to work with, it is recommended to beat the dough on a cool work surface - ideally on a marble board. If the butter does begin to melt, keep the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, and then continue to beat it until it becomes smooth and elastic.

After the dough has risen and been beaten into a ball, the dough is shaped. To create a ring - which allows the dough to bake quickly and evenly - start by making a small hole in the center of the dough ball, then use your fingers to widen the hole. Thus, the ball is easily stretched into a ring.