It's good to hear that you're trying to make different kinds of dough. Unlike some other things that I do in the kitchen, I've found that the dough I make gets better each time I try making it. This is because some types of dough require special kinds of attention to get them to come together. I hope to answer some of your questions here. These are types of dough that I commonly make that don't have yeast: I've made bread and rolls many times, too, but I'm not as confident in the results.
Pasta Dough
- Equipment: Stand mixer, pasta roller
- Standard recipe: 2 cups of "00" flour, 4 eggs, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of salt. I fully realize that I'm one of the few people who puts salt in the dough...I do this because it means I get a perfectly even salt on the pasta, and the pasta is amazing by itself. So, no need to salt the water.
- Mixing Technique: I always mix the dough using a stand mixer equipped with dough hooks, knead it to incorporate whatever bits of flour the mixer missed, and then wrap the dough in plastic wrap for half an hour.
- Finishing Technique: I almost always use a simple, hand-operated pasta roller and cutter. Sometimes, I will do the pasta by hand, but usually not.
- Notes: I've found that there's a big difference between how "00" flour handles and all-purpose flour: the former is so much smoother when rolling and shaping, so I only use "00" for pasta.
- Example: https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/portobello-tagliatelle-with-roasted-garlic.9624/
Samosa Dough
- Equipment: No special equipment needed.
- Standard recipe: 2 1⁄2 cups self rising flour, 7 tablespoons light butter (cold and cut into pieces), 3⁄4 cup water, 1 tablespoon ground fenugreek
- Mixing Technique: Mix together the flour, butter, fenugreek powder, and salt until the dough has a shaggy consistency from the butter chunks. Add a little water, until mixture becomes crumbly. Keep adding water, kneading the mixture till it becomes a soft pliable dough. Knead the dough until dry ingredients are fully blended. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Finishing Technique: Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Use a rolling pin, roll a piece of dough into a 5" oval, as flat as you can make it. Cut in half. Run a moist finger along the perimeter of each half. Place a tablespoon of the filling into each half. Fold the dough over to fully cover the filling and press any loose pieces together. Shape each half into a triangle. Repeat for remaining dough and filling.
- Example: https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/coconut-beet-samosa.11040/
- NOTE: the fenugreek in the dough is purely optional...I just happen to like the taste.
Dim Sum Dough
- Equipment: No special equipment needed.
- Standard recipe: 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 2/3 cup boiled water
- Mixing Technique: Whisk together salt with flour. Pour a bit of the water into the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon, then repeat until all the water is incorporated. Kneed the dough (it's not excessively hot, despite the recently boiled water). The dough should be pliable and not too sticky. Add water or flour as needed to achieve a workable consistency.Place dough in a zipper plastic bag and leave out at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, and ideally at least an hour.
- Finishing Technique: Pinch off a bit of the dough, then reseal the zipper bag to keep the rest of the dough fresh. Roll out dough as flat as you can. Use a large ring cutter to cut out circles in the dough. Roll out the circle of dough again if desired. Place filling in each circle. Wet the outside of the circle with water (use a cup with a pastry brush to make this easier). Then, fold the circle in half, pinching together around the edges. Stand the crescent up on the thick part. Wet the tips of each end of the crescent, then join them together in the middle.
- Example: https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/steak-and-mushroom-dim-sum-chinese-dumplings.11873/
- NOTE: The dough is based on @medtran49's post, which I can't find at the moment.
