Baked goods are delicacies that are hard to resist. From freshly baked donuts to pastries to bread, the different forms of these baked goods are never-ending. The common factor in all the varieties of these baked goodies is the dough. The dough is what makes or breaks the recipe. If you want to make sure that all your baked goods taste as good as the bakery, then you should learn about the art of making dough. The quality of your dough depends on the time you spent kneading it, the amount of the dry ingredients you used, as well as on the temperature at which you handled it.
The different varieties of dough are used for different purposes. Ido Fishman Chef identifies some of the main dough forms that you need to know about. The varieties of dough differ because of their kneading process, the ratio of dry ingredients, as well as their resting time.
Different Types Of Dough
Cold Fermented Dough
The cold fermented dough is the dough that is placed in the fridge for resting. The bread dough is made up of flour, water, yeast, and salt and is placed in the fridge after covering. You leave the dough in the fridge to allow the yeast to raise the dough. This cold fermentation method allows more flavor to incorporate into the dough. The thing to remember about cold fermented dough is that you should always rest it at room temperature before placing it in the oven. The dough that you use for pizza and bread is an example of cold fermented dough.
Unleavened Dough
This is the kind of dough that doesn’t need to rise at all. For example, you use the unleavened dough for pies and pasta. The main difference between unleavened and leavened dough is that the former has a dry and powdery texture that takes shape upon compression. More dry ingredients are used in this dough as compared to the liquid. Many people tend to avoid making unleavened dough at home since it can get quite messy, but it is fun dough to play with.
Rich Dough
You may come across some recipes that are richer than the other baked dishes. For instance, the dough for croissants is very rich in fats because a lot of butter is incorporated into it while kneading. Moreover, such dough also requires you to mix eggs and sugar into the mix for a delicious result. You may find that this dough is a little harder to handle than the rest, especially if you are kneading them by hand. However, the rich and flavorful taste of the baked goods made from this dough is worth the mess.
Sourdough
Sourdough is a kind of dough that many new bakers and beginners stay away from. You may be wondering what makes this dough so intimidating to beginners. The answer to that question would be that sourdough requires a special kind of yeast. Instead of using the ready-made instant yeast from the market, you need to create your own yeast starter to make this dough. The yeast starter takes a few days to get ready before it can be used in the dough.
Batter
The batter for baked goods is a kind of dough that has a different consistency than the usual dough. Many people don’t consider batter as dough because of its consistency. However, you will come across many recipes that require liquid and batter-like dough. Batters have a higher liquid to flour ratio than the typical dough. The different types of batters are the drop-batter and the pour-batter which have a more liquid consistency than the former.
The Bottom Line
Since the dawn of time, people have been mixing different variations of flour and water to make the dough. Different types of dough are now created by playing with the water to flour to yeast ratio for different end products. So, if you are thinking of trying your hand at baking or are new to the art, make sure to keep these different kinds of dough as explained by Ido Fishman in mind.
