The dough can be of different types: yeast, puff pastry, biscuit, shortbread, cottage cheese, pastry, unleavened, simple, etc. Before you prepare the dough, decide what you need: they all differ in technology and cooking time, the composition of products and the type of dishes for which they are intended. For example, for fried pies, the usual dough without yeast is suitable, for buns – butter, for pies – any of the above, including unleavened, if it is unsweetened pastries.
For a well-prepared dough at home, concentrate on choosing the right flour. For dishes that require pomp, lightness and lightness, flour of the highest grade is necessary. For those that are simpler, the first or second grade is suitable. Wheat flour is used more often in baking, but recently housewives like to combine it with other types or even replace it with rye, corn, oatmeal – due to lower calorie content and higher digestibility.
Also, you should always sift the flour twice, even if you are cooking something simple like tacos tortillas or lasagna sheets. This is a necessary habit for a good cook. Also, all dry ingredients are mixed with each other, then all mixed wet ingredients are added to them. This can happen the other way around, it all depends on what a specific test recipe requires at home. Mixing is carried out in small portions, gradually. With this approach, the dough is saturated evenly, there are no lumps.
Always knead the dough clockwise, collecting it from the edges to the center. This will greatly simplify the cooking process. Roll out the rolling pin, if it is required, sprinkle with flour, the same with a table or board. If you knead with your hands, lubricate them with vegetable oil – the dough will not stick. The airiness of the dough is given by yeast, soda and baking powder. Soda can be extinguished in any acidic liquid: vinegar, lemon juice, kefir – this will save your baking from an unpleasant soda taste.
“Strawberry with champagne” sounds luxurious, and in combination with” almond streusel ” even pretentious. The combination is really luxurious: the wine gives the dough a refined, slightly fruity flavor that goes so well with strawberries and almonds. I suggest a variant of pectin filling (it is preferable to use a heat-reversible one). But if you do not have pectin, you can thicken the berry puree with starch or just use sliced fresh berries for the filling.
Pastel de nata – the main Portuguese sweet, a cake with a basket of puff pastry with custard. Most Portuguese pastries are made exclusively from yolks. The reason for this is the era of great geographical discoveries. Back then, Portugal had the best fleet in the world, and it took a lot of egg whites to whiten the sails of all the ships, and the yolks were left out of business. So that the product was not lost, they went their own way and began to widely use egg yolks in cooking. Recipe pastel de Nata was invented in the 18th century by monks at the Jerónimos monastery. And still there is an establishment near the monastery where they sell those cakes, the recipe of which is kept in the strictest secret. However, pate de Nata began to be reproduced throughout the country and now they are served in many places. And every year there is a competition for the best pate de Nata.
Preparing a festive cake, I really want to please all the taste preferences of my family and friends. It was this desire that inspired me to prepare an assorted cake, which combines pieces of four different cakes. It turns out very tasty, moderately sweet and full of different flavors.
Such cupcakes of course can be made in one large, but it is better all the same portion. They are more tender than usual, but more dense than clafoutis. In the season of cherries and sweet cherry, you should definitely try them.
A delicate sponge cake with an air cream and the aroma of fresh strawberries, this is a real hit of the strawberry season. The roll turns out delicious, tender, with a cream that tastes like strawberry ice cream. A simple recipe and a lot of fun with a slice of this summer dessert.
And again, inspiring me to share with you, Greek cuisine! Cotopita San souffle (chicken pie as a souffle) is a tender, juicy, flavorful, airy and very delicious pie made of puff (or Filo) dough! What can I tell you?.. just bake it, and I’m sure you’ll agree with every word I say!