bakingElements
The ingredients of baking are classic: fundamental to their particular place in a recipe is their function and quantity, both of which work in concert to develop flavor, texture, structure, and, ultimately, design.
A slice of feathery, nearly fluffy butter cake, the tender crunch of a shortbread cookie, the craggy flakiness of a scone—these qualities inherent in each sweet are the direct result of the interplay of ingredients and the method used to accomplish their baked form, inside and out.
The principal staples—butter, sugar, flour, eggs, liquid and soft dairy, leavening, and flavorings—are the working cornerstones of the baking kitchen. The integrity of the basic components relates directly to quality and, with regard to taste, is—very simply—the difference between just-average and absolutely luscious.
Consider the following listings—including their applications and my preferences—a basic reference tool to the ingredients used in the recipes that make up this volume.
Flour provides structure to a batter or dough and works with the fat and liquid to develop and achieve a textural “crumb.” Bleached all-purpose flour (preferably Gold Medal) is stronger than cake flour and weaker than bread flour as it contains about 12 grams of protein in 1 cup. Cake flour (preferably Swans Down or Softasilk) is designated as a “soft” flour due to a lower percentage of gluten and contains about 8 grams of protein in 1 cup; it creates a tender-textured batter or dough, a silky crumb, and can be combined with flour of a higher protein content for use in some batters and doughs. With an elevated protein content of 16 grams of protein in 1 cup, unbleached all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur) excels when used in sweet and savory yeast-risen doughs and can be mixed with flour of a slightly lower protein content for use in some sweet yeast-based recipes. Whole wheat flour (preferably King Arthur 100% Organic Whole Wheat Flour), with 16 grams of protein in 1 cup, contributes great grainy, wheaty flavor to batters and doughs; it can be mixed with unbleached all-purpose flour for use in yeast-risen doughs and with all-purpose flour for use in quick breads, such as for biscuits, scones, soda bread, and muffins.
Cornstarch (preferably Argo or Bob’s Red Mill) is a white, finely milled starch used to thicken stove top–cooked puddings, pastry creams and other custard fillings, and some cooked toppings and glazes. Also, it can appear as an occasional ingredient (replacing a portion of the all-purpose or cake flour) in a tender butter cookie dough.
Rolled oats (such as Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, Quaker Quick Cooking Oats, or Bob’s Red Mill Extra Thick Rolled Oats) are used as an ingredient in cookie doughs, sweet and savory yeast-raised breads (sometimes with a presoak in a warm or hot liquid, such as water, milk, or buttermilk), and in cake batters (usually with a presoak in hot or boiling water).
Corn meal (such as Arrowhead Mills Organic Yellow Corn Meal or Quaker Yellow Corn Meal) is used in quick-bread batters, in some cake batters and cookie doughs, and in some yeast doughs, along with a certain quantity of all-purpose flour. It contributes to the overall texture (while playing a smaller role in building volume) and conveys an earthy corn flavor. Stone-ground corn meal yields denser, grittier, more intensely fragrant breads, whereas fine corn meal produces lighter breads and more delicately textured cakes and cookies.
Rising agents—baking powder, baking soda, and yeast—are responsible for establishing volume and developing structure in a batter or dough, affecting its overall density and finished height. Double-acting baking powder (preferably Rumford) discharges gas both prior to and during the baking process; this leavening agent is composed of monocalcium phosphate, bicarbonate of soda, and cornstarch. Baking soda (preferably Arm & Hammer) is composed of sodium bicarbonate and, in the presence of an acid-based ingredient (such as an acid-based liquid, acid-based soft dairy ingredient, or acid-based sweetener or flavoring agent), discharges carbon dioxide, creating that all-important “lift” of a batter or dough prior to and during the baking process. Active dry yeast (preferably Fleischmann’s or Hodgson Mill) can be defined as a microscopic organism that generates fermentation, a process whereby the enzymes produced convert sugar into carbon dioxide (and alcohol, which dissipates during the baking process). Yeast establishes volume in a batter or dough, initiates the fermentation process, builds flavor, establishes the overall height of a risen batter or dough, and contributes to establishing its fully baked crumb. It’s a good idea to be respectful of the nature and capacity of a rising agent by using fresh baking powder not more than three months old (once opened) and active dry yeast a month or two before the suggested pull date on the packet or jar. Baking soda should be stored in an airtight container, where it will keep for six months. None of these agents lasts forever, and old, past-their-prime leavening agents definitely compromise the quality and construction of the finished product.
Salt, preferably ultra-fine or extra-fine sea salt, is both a flavoring agent and flavor accentuator. It develops flavor in a batter, dough, filling, or frosting in the presence of granulated sugar or other sweetening agents, such as molasses, balances out the sweet quotient, and regulates the process of fermentation in a yeast dough. (A few favorite salts are: Masserie diSant’eramo Sale Marino Fino, Lima Atlantic Sea Salt, Tidman’s Sea Salt Fine, and Cerulean Seas Fine Sea Salt.) The absence of salt creates flat-tasting baked goods. Unless dietary restrictions demand otherwise, add the recommended amount of salt listed in a recipe.
Butter acts as the primary (or secondary) fat component of a dough or batter, filling, sauce, icing, glaze, or frosting. Technically, butter is called a “shortening” because it abbreviates, or reduces, the length of the gluten chain (the filaments or strands), and so reduces textural firmness in a batter or dough. It is composed mostly of fat (about 80 percent) and contains a certain amount of water (about 15 percent), along with stray milk solids, proteins, and minerals (constituting a total of about 5 percent). Butter creates tenderness, contributes flavor, enriches the crumb, imparts moisture, and encourages leavening action in a batter when creamed on its own or with nearly any type of sugar. (A few favorite butters are: Organic Valley European Style Cultured Unsalted Butter, Cabot Natural Creamery Unsalted Butter, Celles sur Belle, Isigny Ste. Mère Beurre Cru de Normandie, Kate’s Homemade Butter Unsalted, Kate’s Homemade Butter Sea Salted, Beurre Président Unsalted Butter from France, Plugrá European Style Unsalted Butter, and Lurpak Danish Butter Unsalted.)
Clarified butter, melted and brushed on the interior surface of bakeware, is a peerless preparatory ingredient. I wish all bakers would use it instead of softened butter. It is ideal for filming a crêpe pan before swirling in the batter and for brushing on unbaked and baked yeast rolls, as it adds pure, unblemished flavor. Be advised: if you use melted butter that has not been treated to the clarifying process, the attendant milk solids usually darken or burn, creating nasty little blotches.
To make clarified butter, cut 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter into chunks. Place the chunks in a heavy, medium-size saucepan (preferably enameled cast iron) and set over moderate heat to melt them. Raise the heat to moderately high. When the melted butter begins to bubble, let it gurgle (a low, only slightly enthusiastic bubble) for 30 seconds, then remove the saucepan from the heat and place it on a heatproof surface. Using an impeccably dry metal spoon, skim off and discard the white surface foam. The entire surface should be clean enough so that you can readily see the upper-level golden butter and the milky solids at the bottom of the saucepan. If necessary, use a folded paper towel to pick up any stray bits or patches of foam. Wash and dry the spoon. Angle the saucepan slightly to one side and spoon out only the clear, liquefied butter into a clean, dry, heatproof storage container. The milky residue at the bottom of the pan should be discarded. Cool the butter, then cover tightly and refrigerate. When thoroughly chilled, it will solidify. To use it, portion some out with a palette knife, then gently melt it in a small, heavy saucepan (preferably enameled cast iron). Clarified butter will keep for up to 4 weeks, refrigerated in a covered container.
Sugar develops and cultivates texture when creamed with butter; imparts moisture; contributes to the coloration of the baked crust/surface of cakes, cookies, quick breads and yeast-risen breads; and becomes an important nutrient in the presence of yeast. Its primary use is for sweetening batters and doughs, toppings, and some frostings or glazes; its secondary use is for sprinkling on the top of unbaked batters or over the top of a baked confection, such as shortbread. Free-flowing granulated sugar should be sifted before measuring to hold back any small hardened pellets of sugar; this may seem like a conceit, but the resulting batter or dough is truly superior if the little bits are strained out. Superfine sugar, with its ultra-fine granulation, is perfect for using in cake batters, some cookie doughs, and loaf cakes, for it creates a lighter batter or dough than the granulated variety. When superfine sugar is present in a baking formula as the sweetening agent, a higher percentage of fat in the form of egg yolks, butter, or sour cream can be used. Confectioners’ sugar (10-X is preferable, yielding a polished texture in frostings, icings, and glazes) is used as a primary or secondary sweetening agent—with or without granulated sugar—in batters and doughs (for cakes, cookies, sweet biscuits, scones, and tarts) and in some frostings or icings. When used simply sifted, it becomes an effortlessly sweet coating for the tops of bar cookies, tortes, coffee cakes, pound cakes, and Bundt cakes. Light or dark brown sugar (typically, cane sugar [that is, primarily sucrose] with added molasses, caramel, or cane caramel color) must be moist and strained before measuring to dispel any hardened lumps of sugar; it is used as a sole or partial sweetening agent in a batter or dough, contributing moistness and textural density. Specialty sugars (such as 365 Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Sugar, Alter Eco Organic Ground Cane Sugar, Hain Natural Turbinado Sugar, 365 Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Turbinado Raw Sugar, India Tree Demerara Sugar from Mauritius, India Tree Golden Bakers Sugar from Mauritius, India Tree Light Muscovado Sugar from Mauritius, India Tree Dark Muscovado Sugar from Mauritius, and India Tree Maple Sugar from Vermont) work as a flavoring agent, a highlighting and intensifying agent, and as a finishing sugar to top cookies, sweet quick breads, and yeast-raised breads.
A vanilla-scented sugar adds a plane of flavor, building and enlarging the overall taste of a batter or dough. While the magnification may be subtle, this fast-to-create flavoring is made from a simple formula that returns memorable results.
To make vanilla-scented granulated or confectioners’ sugar, pour 2 pounds of either sugar into a clean, dry glass storage container. Split 2 plump vanilla beans down the center to expose the tiny seeds, cut the beans in half, and bury them in the sugar. Cover the container and let the sugar stand for at least 3 days before using (it will keep for at least 3 months). Over time, the sugar will clump due to the moisture exuded from the vanilla beans during storage; simply sift a quantity of sugar—minus the beans—before measuring (or press a smaller amount through a medium- or fine-mesh sieve).
Light or dark corn syrup is a thick sweetener made from the base ingredient of starch. It is used frequently in sugar syrups and candy making to prevent crystallization, and in some icing and glaze formulas. Corn syrup weakens or modifies the texture of a batter or candy mixture, as it adds a certain degree of moisture. Golden syrup (preferably Lyle’s Golden Syrup)—cane sugar syrup—can be used in place of light corn syrup and, in small quantities (⅓ cup and under), in place of honey; it adds moisture, acts as a sweetening agent, and creates density in cake batters and cookie doughs. Blue agave nectar, both amber and light, is a syrupy, concentrated sweetener made from the juice of the agave plant (the plant is a succulent) and is lighter in weight/texture than honey; either variety can be used as a sweetening agent for fruit sauces and syrups or as a liquid sweetener in a glaze or icing (especially with lemon and lime accenting flavors, where it would lend a bright, slightly acidic tang). Honey is a thick, sticky, and reasonably fluid sweetening agent, generally ranging from golden to amber and scented by the provenance of the nectar; no matter the source, it is hygroscopic (having the ability to pull in and retain moisture) and contributes a sweet level of flavor (depending on its origin) while delivering light to moderate density in a dough or batter. Cane syrup (preferably Steen’s 100% Pure Cane Syrup), made from pure sugarcane juice, is used as a sweetening/flavoring agent; it is wonderful for highlighting flavor in a spice cake batter, gingerbread batter, and a gingerbread or molasses cookie dough. Molasses (preferably Grandma’s Original Unsulphured Molasses) is a treacle-y syrup made from the natural (that is, “unprocessed”) concentrated juices of sugarcane, and is used primarily as a sweetening/flavoring agent.
Eggs contribute moisture to batters and doughs. Whole eggs or a combination of whole eggs and egg yolks work during the emulsion phase of a batter or dough, affecting and creating the desired baked texture while enriching its internal composition and coloring the crumb. An egg yolk is a combination of both protein and fat; an egg white is principally protein, and understood to be “albumin” protein. For use in batters and doughs, organic eggs are preferable for their overall quality—of flavor, texture, and body.
❃ When preparing any dough, batter, or mixture for refrigeration or freezing, use organic eggs only. Never consume any uncooked batter, dough, or other mixture containing eggs. Cook, griddle, or bake all batters, doughs, or other mixtures containing eggs to the proper temperature. Any sauces, fillings, or toppings made with cooked eggs should be refrigerated within 30 minutes of cooking (use an ice-water bath to hasten cooling, if necessary). Use pasteurized eggs as directed. Wash eggs prior to cracking them or in advance of all food preparation. Thoroughly clean and disinfect your hands, containers, mixing bowls, and all work surfaces that come in contact with eggs.
Embraced under the umbrella of liquid dairy ingredients, whole milk, half-and-half, light (table) cream, heavy (whipping) cream, and buttermilk are essential ingredients for adding moisture, developing the crumb, and contributing volume to baked batters and doughs. Whole milk contains between 3.5 and 4 percent fat; half-and-half contains between 10 and 11 percent fat; light (table) cream contains between 18 and 19 percent fat; and heavy cream contains between 36 and 40 percent fat. Buttermilk, usually skim milk treated with a bacteria or “cultured” with lactic acid, adds a gentle tang to a batter or dough.
Soft dairy ingredients, namely sour cream and yogurt, add moisture, contribute to the texture, develop the crumb, and soften/relax the internal texture of batters and doughs. Typically, sour cream—cream that has been cultured by lactic acid, rendering it thickened and slightly tart—contains between 18 and 19 percent fat; yogurt is bacteria-cultured milk, generating a gently tart mixture ranging from moderately thick to thickly dense.
Vanilla extract, used primarily as a flavoring agent, is a classic for scenting batters and doughs. It adds a distinguished highlighting layer of flavor, counterbalances the sweetness factor in a batter or dough, and lends significant aroma and flavor to a syrup or glaze. It’s easy to intensify a bottle of vanilla extract by adding a vanilla bean to it and allowing it to steep for a little while. My preference is for a fairly intense vanilla flavor in baked goods, so I usually use the same amount of intensified vanilla—teaspoon for teaspoon—unless the quantity of vanilla extract called for in a recipe is 11/2 teaspoons or more, when the amount of intensified extract should be reduced by one-third.
To make intensified vanilla extract, pour 4 ounces vanilla extract into a clean, dry glass jar. Split a vanilla bean down the center to expose the tiny seeds and halve it width-wise. Open up the split halves so that the seeds reveal themselves. Bend the halves in half and push them gently into the extract. Close the jar tightly and swish the extract around and about the sections of the split bean. Place the extract on a pantry shelf well away from heat and light. Let the extract strengthen for a few days before using it in a batter, dough, frosting, filling, or sauce. The extract will keep for at least 3 months.
Intense essences, used primarily as flavoring agents, flavor batters and doughs in a complex, but understated way and scent a syrup, icing, glaze, or frosting without compromising its consistency. Depending upon the pastry essence flavor you have chosen, use one-half, one-third, or one-quarter the amount of any one of these essences in place of a similarly flavored commercial extract. Among my favorite essences, available at La Cuisine—The Cook’s Resource in 2-ounce stoppered bottles, are: orange, blood orange, lemon, almond, lavender, coconut, violet, peppermint, rose flower, orange flower, fiori di sicilia, vanilla, caramel, pistachio, and apricot.
Choosing ingredients should be a thoughtful act rather than a unmindful one, for there are so many exceptional items available to the baker that produce doughs and batters full of character. Choices abound, even for the very basic staples, and the exploration is part of the fun. One of my favorite rainy-day weekend activities is to bake three versions of one recipe, each one, for example, with a different type of butter, level of spice, or variable flavoring essence. The results are always delicious, yet the contrast of the different versions turns out to be intriguing. If you are a daredevil, inquisitive baker (like me), you can have a field day with the many varieties of baking ingredients available at the market.