Air cake owes its name to the fact that it is light, like a cloud. Recently, it has become an online hit, and fans of home baking recommend it as a yeast cake that cannot go wrong. The secret of its lightness lies in a small kitchen trick.
Air dough is a new version of the classic yeast doughwhich has already gained a reputation for baking that literally grows before your eyes. Its basis is yeast, flour, eggs and milk, but there is an additional ingredient that makes the mixture even more delicate and perfectly aerated. It’s about regular spirit vinegar, which speeds up the rising process and ensures fluffiness of the baked goods.
How does it work? Yeast works better in a slightly acidic environmentso we avoid long kneading. In addition, vinegar improves the elasticity of gluten, thanks to which air bubbles in the dough do not escape. As a result, it is fluffy and has an almost cloud-like consistency. The final bonus of this sour addition is the longer-lasting freshness of the baked goods, which prevents them from getting stale too quickly.
The basic difference between air dough and classic yeast dough is not in the base ingredients, but in this one addition that changes the structure and way of rising the dough. In traditional yeast dough, yeast plays the main rolethey are responsible for fermentation and the formation of air bubbles. In air dough, a small amount of vinegar is added to the leavenwhich becomes a natural booster here.
This procedure is especially useful when we want the result without having to spend long hours kneading the dough, controlling the temperature or waiting patiently for it to double in volume. Air dough is also useful when the yeast is slow to work or when we want to obtain a baked product that is lighter than yeast dough.which will delight guests with its fluffy structure. If you are afraid that vinegar will leave a sour taste in your baking, there is no need to worry. Its taste is lost in the mass and is completely imperceptible. If you are reluctant to use spirit vinegar, you can use apple vinegar, which is healthier.
The following air cake recipe will allow you to bake a fluffy cakewhich you can serve alone, with your favorite jam, whipped cream or as a base for other desserts.
Ingredients:
- 500 g of wheat flour,
- 50 g of fresh yeast,
- 50 g butter (melted and cooled),
- 2 yolks,
- 120 ml of milk,
- 110 g sugar,
- 1 tablespoon of spirit or apple vinegar 10%.
Preparation method:
Heat the milk, it should be warm but not hot. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
Crumble the yeast in a bowl, add a tablespoon of sugar and pour warm milk, mix and set aside covered for about 20 minutes until the yeast starts working.
Sift the flour into a large bowl, pour the rest of the sugar, add the egg yolks and vinegar and mix gently.
Add the yeast leaven and cooled butter and start kneading the dough with your hands until the mixture becomes smooth and elastic.
Form a ball, cover and set aside for about 50 minutes to rise.
After this time, knead again briefly, transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper and set aside for another 20 minutes.
Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 40-45 minutes until the cake is brown and baked to a dry stick.
Serve the air cake with seasonal fruit or sprinkled with powdered sugar. You can also put fresh fruit on top before baking, just like in a yeast cake, and add crumble.
Sources: guster.pl, Terazgotuje.pl
