Vinegar dough refers to any variety of wheat dough that has vinegar added to it. Traditionally, every bread recipe recommends a tsp of vinegar in it. The vinegar boosts the yeast formation resulting in softer but denser bread. Vinegar can also be added to the dough to increase the taste of cookies, cakes, cupcakes and muffins.
How to Make Vinegar Dough?
Vinegar dough is made by first preparing a yeast starter. Yeast is allowed to prove with sugar and water. It is then added to the dry ingredients and mixed well. Generally, most recipes ask for one tablespoon of vinegar to be added to the dough after the yeast is added. One teaspoon of vinegar has a very mild flavor and does not turn the bread sour but too much vinegar can kill the yeast as well as cause destruction of the gluten sheets. A small amount of vinegar acts like a dough conditioner by slowing down the growth of the yeast and making stronger sheets of gluten in the dough. Different kinds of vinegar may be used like cinder vinegar, white wine vinegar, grape vinegar or cooking vinegar. According to chefs, sourdough bread is most commonly made with vinegar dough. Sourdough usually contain a mix of many different grains which contain large amounts of polyssacharates. Adding vinegar to the dough makes it acidic, breaks down the polysaccharates and makes the bread softer and tastier. The vinegar also promotes gluten formation, forms a smaller crumb and makes the bread extremely soft.
Popular Vinegar Dough Recipes
Sourdough bread prepared with vinegar dough is very common. Cider vinegar is mixed with buttermilk and combined with proved yeast, wheat flour, sugar and salt.
Buttermilk bread prepared by adding apple cider vinegar to the yeast, buttermilk, honey, flour and sugar mixture.
Gingerbread cookies are prepared by adding vinegar to the vanilla, wheat flour, cloves, sugar, butter, nutmeg, molasses and corn syrup dough. The dough is then shaped into cookies and baked.
Vinegar cookies are a very popular variety of home made cookie. Vinegar is combined with eggs, vanilla, almond flavoring, butter, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, chocolate chips and nuts to make drop cookies.
Vinegar Dough Trivia
Vinegar is never added directly to the yeast, as, it can kill the yeast, hence, preventing the proving process.