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There are many reasons you would want to use a dough enhancer. Dough enhances can improve the texture, taste and crust of the bread. Most of them also act as preservatives which helps keep your bread fresher long. Best of all they are natural and so are perfectly safe to add to your bread.
I am also going to bet that you add dough enhancers to your bread already and didn't even know it. Everything other than flour, water and yeast is a dough enhancer in some fashion or another. For example sugar or any sweetener acts as a food for yeast thereby giving the yeast more energy and that in turns gives you a better risen and lighter loaf of bread. Now if you use honey for your sweetener you are also getting a natural preservative that will help keep the bread fresher a little longer.
If you recipe calls for eggs, here again we have a dough enhancer. First the egg is a leavening agent that gives you a lighter loaf of bread and the lecithin rich yolk also helps improve the breads texture, moisture level and it is also a mild preservative.
So, you see you have been using dough enhancers all along. These information contained in this document is here to help you understand the different ingredients and what they do to your dough, how the help preserve it and how to combine them to get the best effect.
Dough Enhancers
Lecithin
Helps keep bread fresher longer & works with the gluten to make a lighter bread. It also helps make the bread moister and acts as a mild preservative. Made from soy or egg yolks. Comes in liquid or granular form.
Use: 1 Tablespoon per cup of flour
Non-Diastatic Malt
Super food source for the yeast which give the bread better structure & makes the bread softer & tender. Made from dried sprouted barley and is not the same as malted milk powder. Comes in liquid or granular form.
Use: 1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour
Ascorbic Acid
Creates an acidic environment for the yeast which helps it work better. It also acts as a preservative & deters mold and bacterial growth. If you can't find pure ascorbic acid crystals you can use Fruit Fresh (canning isle) or a crushed/powdered vitamin C tablet.
Use: 1/8 teaspoon per loaf
Dry Acid Whey
It is the essence of buttermilk with out the milk solids. Like with Ascorbic Acid it helps create a good environment for the yeast work quickly and vigorously, giving a maximum rise in short periods of time. Acts as a preservative & deters mold and bacterial growth. When buying Dry Acid Whey make sure it says "acid" on the package. If it doesn't assume it is sweet whey which isn't the same and won't work correctly.
Use: 1 teaspoon per cup of flour
Vital Wheat Gluten
Vital wheat gluten occurs naturally in all wheat and wheat derived white flours. Some white flours have more or less than others. Vital wheat gluten only does one thing, it helps improve the rise and texture of bread. With out it you have a rock, door stop, paper weight. Generally, if you are using white bread flour you don't need to add any. However, all-purpose or whole grain flours need Vital Wheat Gluten.
1 Tablespoon per cup of flour
Pectin
Pectin adds moistness to the bread and it replaces fat in the bread. This is the same pectin used to make jams and jellies. It comes in liquid and granular form. The granules are easier to work with and store.
Use: 1 teaspoon per loaf
Ginger
Ginger is a yeast booster it gives it a "quick-start", and keeps it working. Because of its astringent properties it also helps keep the bread fresher longer and it deters mold and bacterial growth. It is best to used powdered ginger in your bread. You don't have to worry you won't taste it in the amount used.
Use: 1/4 teaspoon per loaf
Dry Milk
Milk helps with crust browning, bread moisture, taste and nutritional value. It also helps the dough to relax for those times you want to roll it out or shape it. Dry milk or powdered milk work the same.
Use: 1 Tablespoon per cup of flour
Gelatin
Gelatin helps with bread texture and moisture. It is also of nutritional value and is good for the hair and fingernails. Make sure to use unflavored gelatin.
Use: 1 teaspoon per loaf
Fats
Fats. Fats help with taste, texture and the moisture of the bread. Most French bread recipes don't contain fat as it takes away the chewiness of the bread. You don't need to be worried about the fat content of most bread. Most recipes use a tablespoon or two and that is for the whole loaf. A single slice is very low in fat.
1 Tablespoon per cup of flour
Eggs
Eggs add rise, color, texture and taste to bread. Also, if you use the yolk as well you get some of the effects like using lecithin.
Use: 1 large egg replaces about 1/4 cup of liquid in the recipe.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk helps the yeast work quickly and vigorously, giving maximum rise in the time frame allotted by bread machines. It also softens the texture of the bread. Like with any acid type addition it also helps keep the bread fresher longer and it deters mold and bacterial growth. You may need to add 1/2 to 1 tsp. of baking soda to the bread to offset the tartness of the buttermilk. I personally, like the tartness as it reminds me of sourdough.
Use: 1/2 Cup replaces the same amount of other liquid in the recipe.
Garlic
Garlic is a flavoring in larger amounts, but in smaller amounts it helps the yeast, it make the dough easier to roll out and it is a preservative & deters mold and bacterial growth.
Use: 1 teaspoon per loaf, will affect flavor
Cake Flour
Cake flour makes for a softer more tender bread. It also makes a good addition to pizza dough as it helps make rolling out the dough easier.
Use: Replace up to 1/4 of the flour called for in the recipe (no more).
Commercial Dough Enhancers
There are several commercially available dough enhancers on the market. They all work well, but they can be expensive for what you get so be careful. There are several commercially available dough enhancers, they can be expensive and with a little effort on your part are often needed. But, the choice is yours.
It is affordably priced, you get a good amount and it works well and doesn't contain anything you wouldn't want in your bread.
Making Your Own
If you want to gather the ingredients (health food stores, large supermarkets) there are currently two recipes for dough enhancers in the recipe section of this site. The Bread-Fresh™ Dough Enhancer helps with dough conditioning, rise improvement and bread freshness.
This was taken from Bread Machine Digest.. A great Reference...
Thanks for stopping by: haflinger
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