All about baking

[Minni]

Okay, after all the reading, time to try out some recipes:

I shall now post the recipes for

a simple pound cake
a white bread and
for more enthusiasts
An egg bread

All my favourites, so feel free to ask for any clarifications.

Minni

[sarithasai5]

Hi Minni!
That was a very clear explaination abt all the flours and measurements.
Thanks
Saritha

[Minni]

I assume you know, for making cakes,

Flour is sifted into the cup if stated " X sifted cups" and levelled using the straight edge of a knife.
Flour is measured and then sifted if stated "X cups; Sifted"

Q. Why sifting.
For cakes, the texture is supposed to be crumbly, and light.
Mixing of flour into the liquid mixture is a very careful process. It should be as short as possible. Just enough to wet the flour with the liquid ingredients. So, by sifting, you are encorporating air between flour particles and mixing it carefully, you are retaining the same in the batter. Does that explain ?
Good.

Butter is at room temperature, i.e., left out on the counter overnight or approximately 6-8 hours.

Q.Why at room temperature?
It makes mixing in other words creaming with sugar a LOT LOT LOT easier to work with. Trust me on this!
Q. What if you do not have the time?
Grate the butter into a plate and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Smaller the volume, lesser time it takes to get to room temperature, right ?

Excellent, now what do they mean by 1/2 cup butter, 1 stick butter etc...
Butter in the US is sold in sticks. Each Stick is 1/2 cup = 4 oz = 1/4 lb.
So how many sticks is 1 cup butter ?
2 sticks!
2 sticks = 1/2 lb also.
Okay another important point. Butter is sold "Salted", "unsalted".
Even for regular use, I recommend buying "unsalted" variety.
Why?
Two reasons: As you all know, salt is a preservative, so "unsalted" butter is likely to be fresher than the "salted" variety on the dairy aisle. Secondly, you control the salt that is going into a recipe. And for Cakes, the amount of salt added is very minute(yes, salt has flavour enhancing capability as well, hence adding it in desserts brings out the flavours more predominantly than without).
Unless otherwise stated, Butter referred to is UNSALTED

Eggs, also are easier to work with when at room temperature.
Two things worth mentioning.
1. To empty an egg easily from its shell, run it under hot water for a few seconds before breaking it.
2. Always advisable to crack it into a small bowl before transfering it to the mixing bowl, this helps discard any bad eggs without spoiling the rest of the ingredients in the mixing bowl.

Sugar, as you all know...white sugar is being referred to.

Milk, temperature of this hasn't mattered much. So can directly use it from the refrigerator.

[Minni]

Simple pound cake
Originally, pound cake is a pound butter, pound eggs, pound sugar and a pound milk. How simple to remember ?
But who wants to make so much cake ? So, people started using the following recipe most famously called "1-2-3-4 cake" for manageable portion sizes. No harm in halving the recipe. I usually make it for half the proportions, unless I am expecting a huge gathering.
There are variations to it also, which are very interesting too. I shall however post them at a later date.

1-2-3-4 Cake

You cannot go wrong with this recipe. Appreciated by one and all I've made it for, till date.

The name explains it all...yes...the name indicates its proporions.

Ingredients:

1 c Room Temperature Unsalted butter, ie., 2 sticks
2 c Regular White Sugar
3 c Sifted Cake flour
4 Eggs
1 c Milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 tbsp Extra flour for dusting

Note: If cake flour is not available, using the substitutions that I suggested in the previous posts...you can use the appropriate flours.

Method:
Measure all the ingredients and get organized before you begin to make the batter. The butter should be soft.
Sift the cake flour, scoop into a measuring cup, scrape a knife across the top of the cup to level it, and measure 3 cups in a separate bowl. Measure the salt and add to the flour. Mix together. Butter the insides of two 8- or 9-inch cake pans.
With an extra tablespoon or so of flour in the pan and turn it all around so the pan is completely dusted with flour. Turn the pan upside down, and tap the edge on the table to let the extra flour fall out.
Turn on the oven to 350 degrees F.
Now everything is ready to make the batter. Beat the butter with a wooden spoon or in a mixer until light and fluffy(3 minutes). Add the sugar and beat again until very fluffy and light yellow(approximately 6 to 8 minutes). This is what it means to cream the butter and sugar.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition(30 seconds).
Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
*********
IMPORTANT: The more you make cakes the experience you get about handling this phase more graciously. The entire texture of cake depends on this phase of mixing flour and milk into the mixture of eggs, sugar and butter.
The way you mix flour into the batter is called folding into. That is it is done as gently as possible and with as less number of strokes as possible, i.e., mixing till the flour just gets wet. The more the number of strokes you use to mix, the more gluten- (i.e, elasticity like in roti dough) that you are developing and the breadier the cake turns out. A little experience makes you get there. So, if its your first time...just do not bother about it.
*****
Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake.
Depending on your oven and size of the pan used bake for 30 to 50 minutes or until done.
When is it done?
Open the oven door, insert a tooth pick in each pan at the center, and remove it. If the toothpick comes out clean, then the cake is done. If not, continue baking closing the oven door for another 5 minutes and check again.
Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely. Frosting is optional. I like mine without frosting. So if you want you can spread cake layers with your favorite frosting to make a layered cake.

Let me know your experiences.

Minni

[deepali128]

Dear Minni,

thanx for the thoughtful explaination. it seems u are a veteran. keep it up for ur good work. i will try ur cake.

[Seethab]

Minni:

can you let me know the easiest substitution for eggs?

[g's mom]

My husband has stopped eating eggs and I love to bake..... I am now caught in a dilemma as to how to bake eggless products but get the same kind of results as with egg... I used fruit puree/ ener-g egg replacer but the cake hadent risen properly as it normally does with egg I used store bought cake mix( duncan hanes pineapple supreme to be more specific ) I would appreciate any suggestions

[sarithasai5]

Hi Minni!

As Seethab said, is there any best substitute for egg..? as I am a pure vegetarian

[Minni]

Guys,

Thats very true. Easy substitution for eggs need not always give the exact same result. But again, it still produces a result that is not often distinguishable when practised a little bit.

But these are the substitutions I would suggest:

Add the quantities of Eggs(in liquid measure as given in my previous posting) and milk with equal parts of evaporated milk.

Or you can eliminate sugar, and substitute by parts of volume of (eggs+milk) with sweetened condensed milk.

In both the cases, you need to rely on "(approx 4tsp) baking Powder + 1/2 tsp baking soda" for leavening of your cake.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please adjust your evaporated milk/condensed milk quantities after couple of experiments. As sometimes in some recipes the liquid quantities might make the cake very moist...i.e., more than desired.

I haven't tried with ener G. I've heard good things about it. But am yet to experiment. Those of you who had success using it...please enlighten us as to how and where it can be substituted for eggs.

Another interesting substitute is tofu....But I haven't tried it myself.

Here is an extract from IVU.org's FAQ

What can be substituted for eggs?

A company called Ener-G makes a powdered egg-substitute that they claim is a suitable replacement for eggs in cooking. It costs about $5.00 (U.S.) for the equivalent of 9 or 10 dozen eggs, and it contains no animal products. It is make from potato starch, tapioca flour, leavening agents (calcium lactate (vegan), calcium carbonate, and citric acid) and a gum derived from cottonseed. It's primarily intended to replace the leavening/binding characteristics of eggs in baking, but it can be used for nonbaked foods and quiches.

Alternative replacements (quantity per egg substituted for) 2 oz of soft tofu can be blended with some water and substituted for an egg to add consistency. Or try the same quantity of: mashed beans, mashed potatoes, or nut butters.

1/2 mashed banana

1/4 cup applesauce or pureed fruit

One Tbsp flax seeds (found in natural food stores) with 3 Tbsp water can be blended for 2 to 3 minutes, or boiled for 10 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved to substitute for one egg.

1 tsp. soy flour plus 1 Tbsp. water to substitute for one egg.


Hope that helps.

Minni

[Minni]

I shall now present information as to how baking soda differs from baking powder. It is an often confused nuance that needs some clarification.

Okay...here is the information that explains this topic more scientifically:
Source: Curly Sue's home page(Sue@interport.net)

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)

When it is mixed with an acid liquid it releases the gas carbon dioxide (CO2):

NaHCO3 + H+ -----> Na+ + H20 + CO2
(soda) (acid) (sodium) (water) (gas)

Sure, you've seen this- when you mix baking soda with vinegar or lemon juice it fizzes. The fizzing is release of the CO2 bubbles. The same thing happens when you add baking soda to a recipe. If you notice carefully, recipes that use baking soda for leavening always have an acid somewhere. It might be obvious, such as vinegar (in muffins? bleah), lemon juice, sour milk or buttermilk. The acid might be hidden- for example honey and molasses are acidic.

Cream of tartar is a DRY acid that might be called for in a recipe; it cannot react with the baking soda until liquid is added.

The problem with baking soda is that it releases the gas all at once! So if the cake batter sits around for a while before you get it in the oven or it you beat the batter too much, the leavening will be lost and your baked goods will be flat. You don't want to add too much, either, because the taste is rather salty and you'd have to add more acid too. If you don't have enough acid to react with the baking soda you won't release the gas, plus your cake or muffins will have a bitter or soapy taste because of the unreacted bicarbonate.

There are some times, though, when an fast rate of gas release is desired. In that case, ammonium bicarbonate or ammonium carbonate can be used. This is advantageous for eclairs, cream puffs, and some cookies, espcially where a quick spring is needed before the product spreads in the oven. The reaction with ammonium bicarbonate is:

NH4HCO3 -----> NH3 + H20 + CO2

Here, ammonia (NH3) is produced. This produces a distinctive smell during baking, which dissipates so is mostly gone from the finished product. Ammonium bicarbonate or carbonate are rarely used in the home because they don't store well and lose their action quickly.

Baking powder is a combination of baking soda plus a few other things, most importantly a dry acid.
When the baking powder is mixed in a batter with the wet ingredients, the dry acid and the baking soda can then react together and release carbon dioxide.

There are different types of baking powders.

Single-acting baking powders are characterized by the type of acid they include.
Tartrate baking powders contain both cream of tartar (potassium acid tartrate) and tartaric acid. These create gas quickly when combined with baking soda in the presence of liquid, so the batter must be cooked quickly or it will go flat. Phosphate baking powders contain either calcium phosphate or disodium pyrophosphate (source of sodium pyrophosphate). They work a little slower than the tartrate baking powders, but most of the gas is still created outside of the oven and therefore can be lost.
S.A.S. baking powders have sodium aluminum sulfate (alum) as the acid. S.A.S. baking powders react slowly at room temperature and release more of the gas when heated. The phosphate and tartrate baking powders react rapidly at room temperature to release the leavening gas, which means that the batter has to be cooked quickly after the liquid ingredients have been added. On the other hand, the S.A.S. baking powders are better for products that will sit a while before being cooked. The problem with S.A.S. powders is that they have a bitter taste. They are used in combination with other leavening agents so not as much is needed. S.A.S. is often used in D.A. powders.

Double-acting (D.A.) baking powders are the most common type of baking powder in US supermarkets. The first "action" refers to the release of gas when the baking soda in the powder reacts with an acidic liquid. D.A. baking powders contain a dry acid which does not react with the baking soda in the powder until water is added; at that point the baking soda dissolves, the acid dissolves, and the two can now mix and the reaction shown above occurs.

The second "action" refers to the release of gas when the batter is heated in the oven or on a griddle. This relies on the presence of the slower acting acid, S.A.S. which only combines with soda when the temperature increases.

When you read the container of powder, cornstarch is listed as the major ingredient.
The cornstarch has three purposes: 1) it helps keep the product dry and free-flowing, 2) it helps keep the bicarbonate and acid dry (and therefore separate) so they don't react during storage, and 3) it helps bulk up the powder for easier measuring and standardization.

Okay now SUBSTITUTIONS for BAKING POWDER

baking powder (single-acting, see above): 2 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt per cup of flour (source: Joy of Cooking)
baking powder (single-acting): 2 parts Bakewell Cream, 1 part baking soda
baking powder (rising equivalent): for 1 tsp use 1/4 tsp baking soda plus 5/8 tsp cream of tartar (source: Joy of Cooking, other equivalents given)
baking powder (measuring equivalent): for each tsp, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot. Mix only as much as you need per recipe since it will lose potency during storage. (source: Rodale's Basic Natural Foods Cookbook)
baking powder (double-acting, SAS, see above): for 1 tsp use 1-1/2 tsp phosphate or tartrate baking powder (source: Joy of Cooking)
self-rising flour: 1-1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt per cup (source: Pillsbury flour bag).
Note: Since the substitutions release gas immediately when mixed with the liquid of the recipe, they are single-acting. If you get it in the oven ASAP, you shouldn't have much of a problem substituting for D.A. powder.

NOTE: The information about the the ammonia salts and the types of baking powders was found in "Food Chemistry", L.H. Meyer, Litton Educational Publishing, Inc., 1960. Reprinted 1975 by AVI Publishing Inc., Westport, CT. "Joy of Cooking" also has an extensive section on the different types of baking powders and the advantage of each in baking.