If you are just getting started in the exciting world of bread making and baking, you might have wondered how many types of dough there are. And, although the answer is not really simple, as there are many different kinds of dough, below you can find some of the most popular ones.
Bread dough
The most basic dough, but that doesn’t mean it’s the easiest one to make, because making a good homemade loaf of bread is an art and requires practice. Have you ever made you own bread at home? Here are two tips: the first one is to use bread flour, because it ferments better. And the second tip to make a good loaf of bread at home is to be patient. You’ll need to let the dough sit for a few hours to make it double in size properly.
Puff pastry
Puff pastry is a baking classic. Its crunchy texture makes it special and is one of its biggest attractions. It’s made with wheat flour, water and salt. After stretching it, butter is placed on top and then it’s folded repeatedly to create thin layers resembling the pages of a book. This dough is ideal for making pastries like croissants or heart-shaped puff pastry, and lots of other delicacies.
Pizza dough
At some point, everyone has made some kind of homemade pizza. But have you ever made your own dough? Pizza dough is made with bread flour (to help it ferment better), water, salt, oil and baker’s yeast. It needs to ferment for a few hours (the longer the better) just like bread.
Shortcrust pastry or pie crust (ideal for quiches, sweet and savoury pies)
In pie recipes you’ll often see shortcrust pastry or pie crust as part of the ingredients. This may make you wonder which one to use to make a savoury pie or a quiche. Easy solution: both! Shortcrust pastry and pie crust are exactly the same. When it bakes, this dough produces a sort of dense and flaky crust, and that’s where it gets its name: ‘shortcrust’. This dough is made with cake flour.
Dough for Empanadas
The dough for empanadas and empanadillas is very easy to make because all you have to do is mix the ingredients and knead. You only need to let it sit for 15 minutes because it doesn’t need fermentation nor yeast. The ingredients are: wheat flour, milk, sunflower or olive oil, egg and salt.
Kneading and making homemade pastries, pizzas or bread is a very relaxing activity, don’t you think? And, as you can see, there’s a perfect flour for each type of dough. But there are lots more! Find out which flour to use on every occasion and have fun experimenting in your kitchen.