Noodle dishes never taste quite right? The key is just one or two things! Full analysis of 8 dough combinations

Many people making steamed buns, mantou, or dumplings think, 'Just mix flour and water and knead it.' Actually, the difference in texture for various noodle dishes often comes down to ingredients like yeast, salt, oil, eggs, sugar, and lard. Steamed bun dough uses flour, water, salt, and yeast. It needs to be fluffy yet hold its shape, so after kneading, it must be fermented until visibly puffed up before shaping. Dumpling dough is flour, water, oil, and eggs. Eggs and oil increase extensibility, making the wrappers pliable, easy to roll, and less prone to tearing. Unleavened flatbread (like 'siu yuk bing') only needs flour, water, and salt; no yeast is required. After kneading and a short rest, it's rolled out, preventing it from becoming hard. Mantou dough is flour, water, yeast, and sugar. Yeast is responsible for the fluffiness, and a small amount of sugar aids in flavor and fermentation. After proofing, it needs thorough degassing and shaping. Leavened flatbread uses flour, water, yeast, and salt. It's fermented first, then divided into small dough balls and flattened. This results in a softer texture than unleavened bread. Homemade noodles are just flour, water, and salt. While the ingredients are simple, the dough needs to be kneaded to develop gluten and rested sufficiently, making it easier to roll and cut. Steamed cakes (fa gao) also use flour, water, yeast, and sugar. They rely on yeast for expansion and sugar for sweetness, and must be steamed after proper fermentation to be fluffy. Crispy pastries use flour, water, oil, and lard. The fats are key to layers and a crispy aroma, achieved through folding and rolling to create flaky layers. These 8 types of noodle dishes may seem to all rely on flour and water, but what truly determines their texture is often the extra one or two ingredients added. First, determine whether you're making a leavened dough, unleavened dough, or a crispy pastry, then choose the corresponding combination. This way, you won't get confused when mixing the dough, and the final product will be closer to your desired result. ...After reading all this... I think I'll just go out and buy some instead 🤣