The purpose of kneading dough is to evenly mix the water added to the flour with the flour. After uniform water absorption, protein and other nutrients dispersed in the flour will gradually condense to form gluten, which will form a network structure under the action of gluten, thus wrapping the gas generated during fermentation and forming fluffy tissues.

The length of kneading time determines the final state of flour, such as making steamed bread. The longer the dough is kneaded, the stronger the gluten in the flour will be, thus forming a firm taste and more chewy.

Secondly, the process of dough proofing is also to reduce the internal defects of dough caused by uneven water absorption during kneading. During the process of dough proofing, water molecules continue to diffuse in the flour. When the water molecules in flour tend to be homogenized, more chemical reactions can occur inside the dough. On the other hand, chemical reaction connects more protein molecules, which enhances the strength of dough.

Flour often sold in the market can be divided into three types: high gluten flour, medium gluten flour and low gluten flour.

High-gluten flour refers to flour with an average protein content of about 13.5%. Generally, flour with a protein content of more than 1 1.5% can be called high-gluten flour. High-gluten flour is dark in color, active and smooth, and it is not easy to agglomerate by hand. Because of its high content of protein and strong gluten, it is often used to make bread and noodles, which is elastic and chewy.

Medium gluten flour, which is commonly used in our daily life, has a protein content of about 1 1%, and is suitable for Chinese cakes and steamed bread.

Low gluten flour, also known as cake flour, has a water content of about 13.8% and a crude protein content of less than 9.5%. It is usually used to make cakes, biscuits, cakes, cakes and so on.

Say a few more words:

1, kneading dough by hand is a very tiring physical activity. If you want to make steamed bread or steamed buns look good and delicious, you should rub them hard and repeatedly. The longer the kneading time, the better, at least 15 minutes or more.

2. In the process of kneading dough, a large amount of carbon dioxide gas generated during fermentation will be discharged. Therefore, after kneading the dough and making it into steamed bread or steamed buns, it is necessary to carry out secondary fermentation 15 ~ 20 minutes to supplement the carbon dioxide lost in the kneading process, and then steam it in a steamer after secondary fermentation (also known as steamed bread embryo proofing).