Tips for making dough in winter

In winter, if people want to make dough, they will feel that the speed is very slow, which will make them very anxious, and it is difficult to make the flour rise. In this case, you can choose whole wheat flour to make the dough. This kind of flour will make the dough rise faster. The most important thing is to add the correct proportion of yeast powder, so that the dough can rise quickly.

How to make dough grow faster in winter

1. For the sake of health, use half whole wheat flour and half white flour, pour into a basin, use chopsticks to make a well in the middle, pour in a small amount of water, and add an appropriate amount of yeast powder. For “appropriate amount”, you can refer to the instructions on the yeast package. When you first start making it, you may not have experience and may have questions about how much to put in. But it doesn’t matter. If you put in too little, the fermentation time will be longer. On the contrary, if you put in too much, it will not affect anything. The key is to make sure you check the production date and shelf life of the yeast. Expired yeast will not be able to make dough.

2. Add water and stir with chopsticks until the flour becomes flakes.

3. Knead the dough into a ball with your hands until it is shiny, the dough, the bowl and your hands are shiny.

4. Apply some water on the surface of the dough to keep it moisturized.

5. Cover and place in a warm place to ferment.

6. The fermentation time depends on the temperature, it is shorter in summer and longer in winter. When the dough has doubled or tripled in size, it is ready.

7. To test whether the fermentation is successful, you can dip your finger in some flour and poke a hole in the dough. If the hole bounces back immediately, it means that the fermentation is not enough and it still needs to be fermented. If the surface of the dough collapses, it means that it is over-fermented and the dough will have a sour taste. You can use an alkali, such as baking soda, to neutralize it.

8. Check the inside of the dough, you will find honeycomb-like holes.

The best ambient temperature for fermentation is between 30-35 degrees, and it is best not to exceed 40 degrees. The humidity is between 70-75%. The environment under this data is most conducive to dough fermentation. The temperature is easy to control. In summer, the room temperature can basically meet the needs of normal fermentation. But the humidity is difficult to control. Let me teach you a method that can be used in all seasons: put hot water at about 60-70 degrees in a large steamer, put the basin in the pot (the basin must not come into contact with the hot water), and cover the steamer with a lid. In the small environment of the steamer, both temperature and humidity are present. Of course, if you are used to using a microwave or oven, that's fine too. I personally use a large steamer.