Almost every housewife knows: the pie comes out heavy, the pancake is like nothing, and the cutlets fall apart while still in the frying pan. One simple supplement can help you avoid these failures.
And this is not an expensive ingredient at all, but regular semolina. It gives the dough both elasticity and looseness at the same time. There is no need to keep such flour at home, because semolina does just as well. Remove some of the wheat flour and replace it with semolina. The dough for pies will become light, almost airy. The pancakes will lose their rubbery texture. And the pies will stop falling off after the oven.
Where else does semolina come to the rescue?
- Cheesecakes and cottage cheese casseroles come out tender and keep their shape.
- Meat and fish cutlets, as well as meatballs – semolina binds the minced meat and removes excess liquid.
- Pancakes made from zucchini or cabbage with semolina are easier to fry, they do not spread.
- Semolina adds fluffiness to fish cutlets.
- Did the minced meat come out runny? Don't grab the breadcrumbs. Semolina will absorb moisture no worse, but the dish will turn out noticeably more tender.
The most important tricks
- Put semolina into the dough instead of 20-25% flour. In minced meat – a couple of spoons per half kilo.
- After adding semolina to the batter or minced meat, wait 15–20 minutes – the cereal should soften.
- Roll the cutlets or cheesecakes in dry semolina before frying, and the crust will be excellent.
- Semolina in a pie with cherries or cottage cheese will prevent the juice from leaking out and ruining the dough.
Semolina against falling apart cutlets
In cutlets, semolina works smarter than bread. It does not clog the taste of the meat, but absorbs the juice that is released during frying and retains it inside. The cutlets remain intact and soft. For half a kilo of minced meat, two teaspoons of dry semolina is enough. After adding, mix the minced meat well and put it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes – this will give the semolina time to swell and bind moisture.
How to select and store
On the package, look for the letter “T” (durum wheat) or “MT” (mixture). This semolina has a lower glycemic index and holds its shape better. Immediately pour the cereal from the store bag into a jar with a tight lid – then it will not become damp and bugs will not grow in it.
Based on materials from the Zen channel “Cooking with Natalya Kalnina” (12+).
