Why does the dough still not rise after adding sugar and yeast? How to fix the problem of dough not rising after adding yeast and sugar?

We all know that flour fermentation is an important part and an essential step in making pasta. Many people knead the dough when making pasta at home, which is to ferment the flour. There are certain skills in flour fermentation. Some people add yeast and sugar but it still doesn't rise. So why doesn't the flour rise after adding yeast and sugar? Let's take a closer look!

I added yeast and sugar to the dough, but it still won't rise. What's going on?

It is not the case that adding yeast and sugar to flour will make the dough rise well. Whether the dough can rise well is related to the amount of yeast, the quality of the yeast, the amount of sugar, the water temperature of the dough, and the temperature of the surroundings during fermentation.

Yeast dosage

First of all, let's talk about the amount of yeast. The ratio of yeast to flour is about 1:100, which means that five grams of yeast flour should be added to one pound of flour to achieve a good fluffy effect. The amount of yeast can be slightly increased or decreased with the change of seasons. In the high temperature of summer, three grams of yeast per pound of flour can achieve the ideal fluffy effect. In the cold winter, the fermentation speed is slow, and seven grams of yeast can be added to one pound of flour. In other seasons that are neither cold nor hot, five grams of yeast is just right.

Yeast quality

Common yeast comes in 10g, 15g and 100g packages. It is recommended that families who do not often make leavened food buy 10g or 15g packages. Although large packages are more cost-effective, the yeast will lose its activity if it is left for too long after opening the bag. If you are not sure whether the yeast is active (its ability to leaven dough), you can test whether the yeast is still active before kneading. You can pour an appropriate amount of yeast into 35-degree warm water. After standing for a few minutes, dense and fine bubbles appear on the water surface, which means that the yeast is active enough. If no bubbles are produced, it means that the yeast has lost its ability to ferment and can only be thrown away.

Amount of white sugar

Adding a small amount of sugar when kneading dough is to promote the fermentation of the dough. The process of the dough becoming fluffy is a process in which the yeast consumes the sugar in the flour and then grows and reproduces. Many friends should know the role of sugar. However, adding a small amount of sugar does not achieve the effect of enriching the taste, so some friends will add more sugar. Once the amount of sugar is too much, it will inhibit the growth and reproduction of yeast. According to my experience of making brown sugar steamed buns and brown sugar steamed cakes, the amount of sugar does not exceed 25% of the flour, which will not affect the fermentation of the dough. If you still want to increase the amount of sugar, you can only replace the ordinary yeast with high-sugar-tolerant yeast, otherwise the dough may not ferment.

Water temperature for dough mixing

Yeast is a naturally occurring fungus in nature. The biggest weakness of natural fungi is that they are afraid of high temperatures. The highest temperature that yeast can withstand is 40 degrees. If the temperature is higher, it will lose its activity. If the water temperature exceeds 40 degrees when kneading dough, the yeast will lose its activity and the dough will naturally not ferment. The yeast's ability to grow and reproduce is weakened at low temperatures. The dough can ferment, but the fermentation time will be longer, so you need to wait patiently.

The temperature of the surrounding during fermentation

In the winter, dough rises slowly, so we often put the dough bowl in a warm place to heat it up, so that the dough can expand quickly. However, if we are not careful, the temperature around the bowl will be too high, and the yeast will lose its activity, which will also cause the dough to fail to ferment.

What should I do if the dough still won't rise after adding yeast and sugar?

First, please check the production date of Angel Yeast

Never use expired Angel yeast. If you are reluctant to use this little yeast powder, you will lose more materials later.

Second, please understand the correct use of Angel Yeast

The correct method is to prepare a bowl of warm water that is not too hot. Please note that it is warm water. Then put the yeast powder into the water and stir it evenly. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then pour it into the flour in batches and stir. The amount of yeast powder to be added needs to be determined according to the amount of flour. Usually 4 to 5 grams of yeast powder should be added to 500 grams of flour. I only put 4 grams of yeast powder in 500 grams of flour each time. If I put too much, I feel that the taste is not good enough.

Third, is the dough kneaded properly?

The most challenging part of making dough is kneading the dough. Don't think that kneading it a few times is enough. If you don't knead the dough repeatedly, it will be difficult to evenly knead the yeast powder into the flour, so it will be difficult to achieve yeast growth and reproduction in every part of the dough. Kneading dough is a very tiring technical job. The older generation of people pay attention to the "three lights" when kneading dough: a clean surface, a clean basin, and clean hands. But those are all traditional techniques. Here I can give you a very labor-saving technique. Once you learn it, you will never hate kneading dough again.

1. The bowl for kneading dough must not have any water at all. The walls of a damp bowl will easily get sticky with flour, and it will be difficult to scrape it off, so it must be kept dry.

2. Then add the flour, dig a well, pour in a little of the prepared yeast water, stir evenly with chopsticks, and be careful not to let the water touch the edge of the basin.

3. Then continue digging holes, then pour water and mix until all the flour is mixed into flocs.

4. Pour the flour onto the chopping board, knead it into dough, then put it in a bowl and cover it with a cloth for about 10 minutes.

5. After the dough has been left for a while, the water has basically penetrated into it, so it is not so difficult to knead the dough. Then you can easily knead the dough to make it shiny and smooth. Okay, let me continue to tell you about fermentation!

Fourth, fermentation is also closely related to temperature.

It is not guaranteed that fermentation will be successful if you add yeast powder and knead the dough. If the temperature is not reached, it is difficult for yeast powder to grow and reproduce, especially in the cold winter in the north, where the indoor temperature is low and it is not suitable for fermentation. So what should I do? I have three methods, you can try whichever one you think is easier to operate!

1. Put it in the bed, and remember to put a hot water bottle next to the basin to ensure sufficient temperature. This is an old-fashioned method that I often saw my grandmother use the most.

2. Prepare warm water in a pot and place the dough basin in the pot to ferment. Remember to change the water frequently to maintain the temperature, but don't use very hot water!

3. Put it in the oven or bread box to ferment. This requires a machine!

Fifth, do not add a lot of raw flour to the fermented dough

When exhausting, don't add too much flour. Too much flour will add a lot of raw flour, and raw flour cannot ferment! Generally, to exhaust 500 grams of fermented dough, you only need to add 50 grams of flour.

What are the key points of flour fermentation

1. Ingredients ratio

Mainly the ratio of flour, yeast, sugar and water;

General recipe: 500g flour, 5g yeast, 15g sugar, 205g water;

High-sugar formula flour 500g, yeast 5g (if the sugar content exceeds 7%, it is recommended to use high-sugar tolerant yeast), sugar 80g, water 240g.

2. Temperature and humidity

Room temperature:

The normal indoor temperature is between 26-40 degrees, and it is recommended to control it at around 36 degrees. The fermentation box is generally controlled at around 42 degrees. The humidity is generally 80%, and the factory production is increased to 90-100%. If it is lower than 20 degrees, it is recommended to place the dough in a warmer place to ferment.

Water Temperature:

If the room temperature is high, you can use room temperature tap water to make the dough. If the room temperature is low, use warm water to make the dough. The water temperature for making the dough should not exceed 40 degrees. The back of the hand test should not be hot. Too high a temperature will affect the activity of the yeast.

3. Fermentation time

Fermentation before and after forming:

Proper control of the temperature and humidity in the formula ratio is all about time. The fermentation before molding is generally controlled at 20-40 minutes, and the dough can rise to twice its size. If honeycomb texture is found when the dough is torn open, it means the dough is fully risen.

The fermentation after shaping is to wrap the dough directly after kneading. After wrapping, put it into the proofing box for fermentation for 20-40 minutes. The exact proofing time and the degree of proofing generally need to be judged manually. It is sufficient when it is not sticky, one to two times larger, elastic and firm.