Did You Know?...The Secrets of Baking Revealed
By Sarah Phillips

SCIENCE AND THE SECRETS BEHIND GLAZED LEMON CAKE

Sarah Says: Measure dry ingredients, solid fats, brown sugar and peanut butter, shortening, honey, molasses, corn syrup, sour cream, yogurt, applesauce, and flaked coconut in graduated Nested Measuring Cups. Metal nested measuring cups come in sets with sizes ranging from 1 cup to 1/4. Some sets may have addition sizes, such as 1/8 cup to 3/4 cups. Measure flour by: Fluff up the flour in the bag or container, and lightly spoon it into the cup while held over a sheet of waxed paper or the flour canister. Let the flour heap up and overflow. Do not pack it into the cup. Do not tap or shake the cup to level it. When the flour is over the top, use the flat side of a knife or spatula (or even you finger) to sweep off the excess flour so it is level with the top of the cup. Measure all liquid amounts, such as water, milk, buttermilk, oil, etc., above 1/4 cup in a liquid measuring cup. Always place the liquid measuring cup on a level surface and pour in liquids. Read the liquid measurement at eye level while cup is on a flat surface. Measuring spoons are used to measure small amounts of both dry and liquid ingredients. They come in sets ranging from 1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. Do NOT use kitchen flatware. How to Measure with Measuring Spoons: Measure small amounts of liquid (like extracts): pour into spoon until full over a separate bowl to catch overflow. To measure small amounts of dry ingredients such as baking powder, baking soda and salt: pour or scoop into spoon until full; level with a straight-edged spatula or knife. To measure a 1/8 teaspoon, such as baking soda or powder: Fill an 1/8 teaspoon measuring spoon level off with the straight edge of a knife after measuring and leveling, then divide in half with tip of knife.

 

Unbleached all-purpose flour, milled from wheat, provides both strength and structure to a cake recipe, but also binds and absorbs moisture, adds flavor and interest.

Question: What’s the difference between bleached all-purpose flour and unbleached? Answer: One main difference between unbleached and bleached all-purpose flour is the color; one is off-white and the other is pure white. Technically speaking, the carotenoid (yellow) pigments in the flour are oxidized (bleached) to produce white flour. If a recipe doesn't specify, you can use either one, but where a whiter color is desired, use the bleached one. For those looking for untreated flour, note that unbleached flour can still contain maturing agents and chemical dough improvers (listed on the label). My flour of choice is unbleached all-purpose flour.

Wheat flour contains two very important gluten forming proteins, glutenin and gliadin that interact with each other when mixed with water or moisture to form the web-like structures of gluten. Wheat flour is the only flour that contains significant amounts of these gluten forming proteins and is the only type that can be effectively leavened. Gluten is elastic like a rubber band; this elasticity allows the dough to expand and trap the air bubbles expanded by the carbon dioxide produced by the leavening, which makes the dough rise and stretch. The gluten strands set into a structure. The amount and type of protein in flour varies by type and affects the final recipe.

Question: What is enriched flour? Answer: In the 1940s, the Food and Drug Administration mandated that all-purpose flour be "enriched," so small amounts of iron, niacin, thiamin and riboflavin are added. Folic acid, a member of the vitamin B complex, was later added to this list.

Sarah Says: Store all white flours in an airtight container in a cool, dark place--NOT the freezer or refrigerator. There, they will keep for a year. On the other hand, the natural oils found in whole grain flours, including cornmeal, make them susceptible to rancidity. To test if the flour is rancid, just smell it! If it is, throw it out. Store all whole grain flours in plastic bags in the refrigerator or freezer where it will keep for about a year. Keep it in bulk in an airtight container or place the entire flour bag into a ziplock bag and seal. You can use whole grain flours directly from the refrigerator or freezer. When you use it, simply measure what you need, and put the rest back in the freezer. You do not have to thaw before using.

Baking Powder is a chemical leavener. Double-acting baking powder begins to release gas initially during the mixing stage, but it is a gradual release. The main reaction occurs when the recipe is heated at temperatures above 140°F, that is, after the dough or batter is in the oven. Clabber Girl and Rumford brands will work in all recipes calling for baking powder.

Salt improves and enhances the flavor of all the foods; don’t leave it out.

Applesauce: I always bake with a smooth, high-quality supermarket brand such as Mott's. I like its thick consistency, which is perfect for healthy baking. I like to bake with unsweetened applesauce, but you can also use other types such as chunky, sliced or cinnamon, cranberry, or raspberry.

Sarah Says: Fruit purees, especially applesauce, are often used as a substitute in oil in recipes (do not use it as a substitute for solid fat, such as butter, shortening or margarine because it won't work). The pectin from the fruit forms a film around the tiny air bubbles in the batter, similar to what occurs when you use oil or cream solid shortening with sugar, but not as effectively. Many ask me for stead-fast rules to follow when substituting oil with applesauce. In general, I like to 1 cup oil and substitute it with 3/4 - 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, but every recipe is different and it may take some testing on your part to get it right. You can also use pumpkin, banana, mango, squash and other purees in recipes, but I always make sure I have at least 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce included as part of the puree; I find the recipe, when baked, turns out moister with a better texture. I always add in 1-2 TBSP canola oil, as well, to enhance the recipe's flavor and texture.

Sarah Says: Ignore the information that says you can use applesauce as a substitute for butter in any recipe. The best candidates for fat replacement with fruit purees are quick-bread and those recipes that use oil. When you replace the butter with applesauce in a recipe that depends upon butter for its characteristics, such as a crispy and crunchy cookie, you will get a cookie that bends and is soft or may not resemble a cookie at all. So, in those types of recipes, I recommend reducing the amount of butter, instead of substituting it with applesauce, to the point where the lower-in-fat one is still similar to the full-fat version. That takes LOTS of experimentation, sometimes adding in or taking out ingredients from the original recipe!

Sugar referred to as crystalline or table sugar, is one of the “big four” main ingredients in any cake recipe which includes flour, butter and eggs. It contributes to leavening, browning, flavor, tenderizes, keeps the cake moist and of course, sweetens. When a recipes calls for “sugar” it means white “table” sugar. Dark brown sugar is simply white sugar with molasses; light brown sugar has less than dark brown.

Eggs have a variety of functions in cakes. Eggs can bind, leaven, shorten (soften textures with its fat properties), and add moisture, coloring/browning, as well as flavor. In lower-fat recipes, 1 large egg can be substituted with 2 large egg whites.

Question: If a recipe says to use “eggs”, what size do I use? Answer: If the recipe is simply written with the word "eggs", use large which have a volume of about 1/4 cup each.

Vegetable oil always stays liquid and never set into a solid form even when baked. Lubrication is a function of oil. The liquid oil coats the flour and sugar particles allowing for smoother dough, easier mixing, reduced mixing times and some mixing tolerance. This coating also prevents some gluten development, but not as effectively as solid, plastic fats do, such as stick butter or shortening. Oil does not aerate when creamed with sugar so it does not have air holding properties. The oil’s lubrication properties help keep the dough from sticking to the baking surface; the general rule is that if your batter or dough does not contain a lot of fat, that you must prepare their pans using more.

Flavorings for a recipe comes in different forms: from its ingredients such as pure vanilla extract, grated carrots, chocolate as well as ground spices, extracts, citrus zest (peel), citrus oil and even liquors.

Lemon zest: Is minced citrus peel, without the white pith. Use the small grater holes in the grater or a microplane to make citrus zest.
When I don't have fresh citrus handy, I use pure citrus candy oils. I often substitute the citrus peel or zest called for with a total of 1/8 teaspoon pure citrus oil PER recipe (you can always add more after tasting, but no more than 1/4 teaspoon in total). Do not increase the amounts because the flavors are intense

Poppyseeds: Poppy seeds have a slightly nutty aroma and taste, and their pleasing blue-gray color and mellow crunch, makes them popular in baking recipes. Be careful !! Poppy seeds add plenty of calories and fat to a recipe. Two tablespoons have: 107 calories, 2 grams fat and 6 milligrams cholesterol. Store poppyseeds in the freezer, as they go rancid quickly at room temperature.