Can you eat dough?
In this article, we will answer the question “Can you eat dough?”, and how to make edible cookie dough at home?
Can you eat dough?
No, you cannot eat dough. Cookie dough, cake or brownie batters, pie crust, in their raw form, are unsafe for human consumption. You might be eating unbaked dough all the time and doing fine, this only implies that you have good immunity and that you have been lucky.
There are higher chances of experiencing food poisoning from eating raw dough if the consumer is immunocompromised. This includes older people, young children, pregnant women, or individuals with poor immunity (HIV, AIDS, etc).
We understand that it may be tempting to get a taste of the raw batter before baking it but it is better to be safe than sorry.
Why can you not eat raw dough?
It is a common misconception that flour is safe to consume raw. Flour is highly susceptible to E.coli contamination.
This pathogen survives the grinding and bleaching process of flour manufacturing. However, cooking temperature effectively kills or reduces this pathogen within the safe limit. So, raw flour is not as harmless as it looks.
The second menace of eating raw dough is raw eggs. Raw eggs are a common vehicle for transmitting Salmonella. Salmonellosis is a common form of food poisoning that results from eating poorly handled or undercooked poultry or meat products.
So, you are putting yourself at the risk of Salmonellosis each time you eat raw dough that contains eggs. Cooking temperatures efficiently kill this pathogen.
One exception is the edible cookie dough, which is fit for consuming raw. This dough is made using heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs or no eggs.
Safe food handling practices
- The raw dough or batter, for cookies, tortillas, pizza, biscuits, pancakes, or crafts, is made with raw flour, such as homemade play dough or holiday ornaments should not be tasted before baking.
- Do not let children ingest the raw playdough or craft dough.
- Bake the raw dough or batter at the correct temperature for the specified time.
- Do not use raw flour or cake mix containing raw flour to make milkshakes or smoothies.
- Homemade cookie dough should not be eaten raw. Unlike the store-bought edible dough, homemade raw cookie dough does not contain heat-treated flour.
- Eggs and flour should be stored away from ready-to-eat foods.
- Wash the food-contact surfaces with soap and water after handling or working with raw eggs, flour, or raw dough.
Symptoms of food poisoning from raw dough
Depending upon the virulence of the ingested pathogen, the amount of the ingested pathogen, and your immunity, the symptoms of the resulting food poisoning could be mild or severe.
The symptoms of E.coli infection manifest 3-4 days after the consumption of contaminated food. Some of the common symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting. The symptoms should be gone within a week.
Sometimes the infection morphs into a serious illness called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which is characterized by kidney failure, stroke, and even death.
Symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps and they may appear anywhere between 6 hours to 6 days after the ingestion.
The symptoms should be gone within 4-7 days. The immunocompromised may experience the worst symptoms that could even lead to a life-threatening situation.
Snack on healthy food
There are more nutritious and safe alternatives to cookie dough. You can try munching on energy bites made of dates, cashews or coconut, for a start. To kill the temptation of sampling the dough during the process, try chewing a stick of gum.
How to make edible cookie dough at home?
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp milk plus more if needed
- 1 cup miniature chocolate chips
Instructions
- Microwave the flour for 50-60 seconds on high to eliminate all the pathogens. The flour should reach a safe internal temperature of 166℉.
- Beat the granulated sugar and the butter using a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Beat for about 1 minute or until the batter becomes creamy, light, and fluffy. In the end, whisk in the vanilla and salt.
- Whisk in the flour just until combined. Do not overmix. Beta in some milk until the dough is homogenous, one tbsp at a time.
- Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
Other FAQs about Dough that you may be interested in.
Can you freeze croissant dough?
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “Can you eat dough?”, and how to make edible cookie dough at home?
