Final episode of this mini-series about the science of bread! Every gesture in kneading has its own importance and meaning. Not only stretching the dough is necessary in order to form gluten, but also folding the dough after raising is essential in order to re-distribute gluten in layers and help the dough being stable during the raise in height. But what if your loaf didn’t rise at all? It could be because of the salt, which might have killed the yeast. Or else, if you added milk to make your dough fluffier, you might accidentally have warmed it a bit too much, which could be the reason why the yeast didn’t work. And if you added oil or butter to your dough, you might have added it in the wrong order. In fact, every fatty substance should be added to the dough only once the gluten has been formed, otherwise it would entrap starch granules in an oily membrane making them unable to interact with water and form gluten. Now you’re ready – go and bake your perfect loaf!
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