What is the role of adding alkali to flour

Nowadays, many people add some yeast powder to the flour when kneading the dough before steaming buns. This is a commonly used method of leavening dough. However, more people still prefer to add alkali to the flour to make the dough rise. They feel that the steamed buns made with alkali-raised dough taste better and have a richer wheat flavor. Alkali can remove the sour taste of flour when making dough. Adding appropriate amount of alkali will make the food more delicious.

What is the role of adding alkali to flour?

1. Microorganisms will generate acid during the dough fermentation process. The dough will become sour after fermentation. Alkali (carbonate) must be added to react with the acid to make delicious pasta.

2. Alkali can neutralize the organic acids or sulfides that adhere to dark green vegetables due to excessive spraying of pesticides, thereby preserving the original color of the vegetables and removing the pollution of pesticides on the vegetables;

3. Alkali has a strong degreasing effect and can remove excess oil from oily dry food ingredients;

4. Alkali can release the niacin in corn which is not easy to release, so that people who eat corn for a long time will not suffer from pellagra due to the lack of niacin in corn;

5. The disadvantage of alkali is that it has a strong destructive effect on vitamin B1, B2 and vitamin C in food, and it also affects the body's absorption and utilization of certain minerals. Therefore, it should not be abused.

People who are suitable for taking alkali :

It is edible for the general public

Some ways to use alkali

1. Alkali can remove the rancid smell from grease. The method is to wait until the rancid grease is heated to hot, then add a certain amount of pure alkaline water and stir it slowly with chopsticks.

2. Alkali can remove the sour taste of the dough and make the steamed buns fluffy and white, but do not add too much, otherwise the steamed buns will turn yellow or crack and the taste will become bitter. Dietary therapeutic effects: Alkali is hot in nature and bitter in taste; it has the effects of removing dampness and heat, resolving food stagnation, detoxifying and reducing acid.

Precautions for using alkali :

1. Do not soak food in alkaline solution to prevent the raw materials from rotting. Just stir and wash the raw materials repeatedly with alkaline water of appropriate concentration;

2. Alkali is an inorganic substance and has no nutritional value itself. However, its role in food cooking cannot be underestimated. The aqueous solution of alkali is an electrolyte, which can enhance the water absorption capacity of protein molecules in food ingredients (such as squid) and accelerate the swelling rate of the ingredients. However, you must pay attention to the amount, method and time of using alkali to prevent the food ingredients from being over-swelled, too rotten or even deteriorating.