How to ferment flour without yeast

Many people are concerned about the issue of fermentation. In fact, for some things, the issue of fermentation does not necessarily depend on their types. For example, sometimes we must use fermented flour when making some food, because only in this way can we ensure a certain taste and effect. However, some people do not have yeast at home. How should flour be fermented without yeast?

There are several fermentation methods, each with its own characteristics, and should be determined according to the type of pastry being made.

The common method of making pasta at home is to use old yeast to make dough. That is, use a piece of old yeast dough (also known as "old fat", "dough head", "starter", etc.) and flour to mix it into dough. Under certain temperature conditions, the dough is filled with many dense holes and expands in volume, and the fermentation is successful.

There are three key operating points to master here. There are several methods of fermentation.

1. Control the temperature during fermentation

Break the old yeast into several small pieces, add water and mix with flour. Use cold water in summer, warm water at about 40C in spring and autumn, and 60-70cC hot water in winter to make the dough, cover with a wet cloth, and place in a warm place for fermentation. If there is less old yeast, you can first add the yeast to warm water to make a thick paste. After the paste starts to bubble, add a large amount of flour to make dough for fermentation. The best temperature for dough to rise is 27-30C. As long as this condition can be maintained, the dough will ferment successfully within 2-3 hours.

2. To master the degree of fermentation

If the dough is not well-fermented, the pastries made will be hard in texture, gray in color, and sticky to teeth when eaten; if the dough is over-fermented, the surface of the pastries will easily crack. Because over-fermented dough must absorb heavy alkali, the color of the pastry will turn yellow and dark, and even have a sour smell. Normally fermented dough is commonly known as "positive fat" and the pastries made from it are white, soft and shiny. How to tell if the dough has risen properly? After the dough has fermented for 1 to 2 hours, if the dough is too elastic and has few holes, you need to maintain the temperature and continue fermenting. If the dough surface cracks, the elasticity is lost or too small, the holes are in patches, and the sour taste is very strong, the dough has been over-fermented. At this time, you can mix flour and water, knead it into a ball again, cover it with a wet cloth, let it sit for a while, add sugar, and you can make pastries. If the dough has moderate elasticity, many and relatively even holes, and has a wine aroma, it means the dough has been "fermented" properly and you can use alkali at that time.

3. Be careful with alkaline water

The purpose of adding alkali is to remove the sour taste in the dough and make the finished product more puffy, white and soft. The key to making good alkali is to control the concentration of alkali water. Generally, 40% alkali water is appropriate. The test method is: cut a small piece of yeast dough and throw it into the prepared alkaline water. If it sinks and does not float, the concentration of the alkaline water is less than 40%, and you can continue to add alkali to dissolve it. If it floats to the surface immediately after being dropped, the alkaline water exceeds 40 degrees and you can add water to dilute it. If the dough slowly floats up, neither floating on the surface nor sinking to the bottom, it indicates that the concentration of the alkaline water is appropriate.

Normally fermented dough can be used to make pastries after kneading it evenly. In order to ensure the success of the alkali-additive process, a small piece of the alkali-additive dough can be cut and steamed in a steamer first, which is called "testing the alkali". If the color becomes dull after steaming, the texture becomes hard and inelastic, and it tastes sour, then the alkali content is insufficient and more alkali water needs to be added to knead the dough; if the color becomes yellow after steaming, or the surface cracks, and the alkali smell is obvious, then the dough needs to be covered with a wet cloth and left for a while to "extract" the alkali before making any more dough; if the dough is bright white, soft and elastic after the alkali test, then the alkali content is appropriate and it can be used to make pastries immediately.