Can ordinary flour be used to make mooncakes?

Nowadays, more and more people are starting to make mooncakes at home. The mooncakes you make yourself are not only delicious, but more importantly, they are clean and hygienic, without any additives, so you can eat them with confidence. When making mooncakes, people usually go to the supermarket to buy low-gluten flour specially made for mooncakes, so that the mooncakes made will be softer. But some people make it with flour at home. So, can ordinary flour be used to make mooncakes?

1. Can ordinary flour be used to make mooncake skin?

Generally speaking, ordinary flour, that is, medium-gluten flour, can be used to make mooncakes. The ordinary flour bought in supermarkets or stores without special markings is medium-gluten flour. High-gluten flour and low-gluten flour are specially marked. Generally, the bag of high-gluten flour will be marked with "high-gluten flour" or "bread flour", and the bag of low-gluten flour will be marked with "low-gluten flour", "cake flour" or "pastry flour". Of course, there is special flour for mooncakes on the market, which can also be used. In addition, if you like a softer texture, you can also choose low-gluten flour. Mooncakes made with ordinary flour have a bit of a hard texture. Mooncakes made with low-gluten flour have a softer texture and a bit of a cakey feel.

2. What kind of flour is used to make mooncake skin?

It is best to use low-gluten flour or special flour for mooncakes to make mooncake crust, but medium-gluten flour is generally used. Medium-gluten flour is easy to wrap in the crust and is easy to shape when baking, so it is the flour of choice for most people to make mooncakes. The average protein content of low-gluten flour is around 8.5%, so the gluten is weak, and the dough made from it is softer, making it tastier than that of medium-gluten flour. When using low-gluten flour to make mooncake skin, do not use all low-gluten flour. Instead, mix low-gluten flour and high-gluten flour in a ratio of 9:1. The dough will taste better.

3. The advantages and disadvantages of various flours for making mooncake skins

1. Low-gluten flour

The average protein content of low-gluten flour is around 8.5%, so it has weak gluten and is often used to make cakes, biscuits, steamed rolls, etc. with a soft texture and loose texture. It is more suitable for making mooncake skins. The dough is softer. When wrapping the filling, you can slowly pat the skin with your hands so that the filling is evenly surrounded by the skin. The disadvantage is that cracks are easy to appear when baking, but the cracks will disappear after a while.

2. All-purpose flour

If you can't find cake flour, you can use all-purpose flour. The advantage of using all-purpose flour is that it is easier to wrap the crust and easier to shape when baking. The disadvantage is that the dough is harder and easier to wrap unevenly. The immediate effect after baking is a bit crispy and hard, which will improve after the oil is returned.

3. High-gluten flour

High-gluten flour should not be used because the gluten strength of the flour is too high, and the dough has great toughness and elasticity, which makes the dough easy to harden and have poor plasticity. It is easy to shrink and deform during baking, making it difficult to operate. After baking, the crust is not soft and delicate enough, and is prone to wrinkling and cracking. The pattern is not clear, the oil recovery is slow, and the gloss is poor.