CONCEPT 41: GENTLE FOLDING STOPS TOUCH QUICK BREADS

Question 1

Name three types of quick bread.

Answer 1

Banana bread, muffins and pancakes.

Question 2

Can quick bread be ruined by excessive gluten development?

Answer 2

Yes because they rely on tenderness not chewiness.

Question 3

How are quick breads different from yeast breads?

Answer 3

Unlike yeast breads, which rely on slow fermentation to create rise, quick breads use chemical leaveners, namely baking powder or baking soda.

Question 4

How long after mixing quick breads can they sit before baking?

Answer 4

Because the production of gasses begins as soon as these dry leaveners are hydrated, quick breads should be baked immediately and don’t require long fermentation.

Question 5

What is the “quick bread” method of mixing?

Answer 5

Mixing all the dry ingredients together, then mixing all the wet ingredients together. Now, bring together.

Question 6

What’s the important part of a “quick bread” mix?

Answer 6

How exactly, and with what force, these mixtures are combined; folding, not stirring, is essential.

Question 7

The eggs, fats and sugar in quick bread should have a ______ effect.

Answer 7

tenderizing

Question 8

Why do fats, sugar and eggs have a tenderizing effect on bread?

Answer 8

Fats, oils, dissolved sugars and the emulsifiers in egg yolks all interfere with the formation of gluten by either preventing or slowing protein unfolding and bonding.

Question 9

Even with fats, oils, sugar and emulsifiers, can you still over mix quick breads?

Answer 9

Yes, and you will end up with tough results.

Question 10

Best way to mix quick breads.

Answer 10

Gently folding with a spatula.

Question 11

What is said about quick bread batters that looks homogeneous?

Answer 11

They’re likely over mixed.

Question 12

What should be noted about mixing dry and liquid ingredients together for quick breads (think gluten development)?

Answer 12

A wet batter is enough to begin unfolding the proteins and activate the formation of gluten; it really doesn’t take much gluten to make a tender quick bread tough.

Question 13

Can a few streaks of dry flower remain when mixing quick breads?

Answer 13

It’s actually preferred.

Question 14

TEST KITCHEN: 3 BATCHES OF BROWNIES MIXED WITH A FEW STREAKS OF FLOUR REMAINING, UNTIL FULLY HOMOGENEOUS AND BEATEN FOR 5 MINUTES.

Answer 14

Differences, even between the two folded samples, were dramatic. Properly mixed batter baked into a compact, tender brownies; over folded sample was relatively cake and tough. Batter prepared in stand mixer was almost twice as tall and offered serious resilience–described as downright tough and said they lacked the fudgy texture of properly folded brownies.

Question 15

Why were brownies in the stand mixer twice as tall?

Answer 15

The whisk incorporated more air bubbles and a strong gluten network was able to trap them.

Question 16

Great way to add banana flavor in banana bread.

Answer 16

Take ripened bananas and stick in the microwave. Reduce the banana juice and put in place of some dairy ingredient.

Question 17

Does freezing or roasting bananas in their peel speed the ripening process?

Answer 17

No, it just gives them the look of their super-sweet, overripe brethren; they do little to convert starch into sugar.

Question 18

Best way to ripen bananas.

Answer 18

Put them in an enclosed paper bag for a few days; bag will trap ehtylene gas produced by fruit that hastens ripening.

Question 19

What produces more ethylene gas, fully ripened or partially?

Answer 19

Fully ripened produces the most gas. That’s why placing them in a brown bag with unripened fruit will hasten the process even faster–usually a day or two quicker.

Question 20

The sweetest of the sugars in fruit.

Answer 20

Fructose

Question 21

How much more fructose did heavily speckled bananas have than the less spotty ones.

Answer 21

Up to 3 times more.

Question 22

Percentage of fructose in lightly spotted bananas.

Answer 22

About 1.8%

Question 23

Percentage of fructose in heavily spotted bananas.

Answer 23

About 5.3%

Question 24

TEST KITCHEN: FULLY RIPENED BANANAS KEPT IN THE FRIDGE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT REFRIGERATED BANANAS, THOUGH BLACK, LAST MUCH LONGER.

Answer 24

For the next few days, the bananas were nearly indistinguishable. After 4 days, the room temp became markedly soft and mushy while refrigerated remained firm, despite their blackened appearance.; refrigerated lasted an additional 5 days.

Question 25

Why do refrigerated bananas last longer?

Answer 25

As a banana ripens, it emits ethylene gas that accelerates the ripening process. Cool temperatures slow down the production of ethylene, thereby decelerating ripening.

Question 26

Why do refrigerated bananas turn black?

Answer 26

It causes the cell walls to break down , releasing enzymes that cause the formation of black-brown pigments.

Question 27

What type of cornbread will a stone-ground whole-grain cornmeal yield?

Answer 27

A drier and less tender cornbread.

Question 28

Northern version or cornbread.

Answer 28

Sweet and cakey.

Question 29

Southern version of cornbread.

Answer 29

Savory and light.

Question 30

How do you pump up the flavor of cornbread?

Answer 30

Use real corn.

Question 31

Best ratio of flour to cornmeal for cornbread.

Answer 31

3 parts flour to 2 parts cornmeal.

Question 32

What’s a great way to get a dark brown crunchy crust on cornbread?

Answer 32

Pouring the batter into a hot cast-iron skillet.

Question 33

When does test kitchen add butter to cornbread batter? Why?

Answer 33

They add it last to create a subtle streaks of unmixed butter in the batter and, as the bread bakes, the butter rises to the surface and creates a more deeply browned top crust and stronger butter flavor.

Question 34

How long can refined flours like AP, bread and cake be stored in airtight containers?

Answer 34

Up to a year.

Question 35

How should whole grain flour such as wheat or rye be stored? Why?

Answer 35

Storing in the freezer will help prevent rancidity since they contain more fat.

Question 36

Does frozen flour inhibit rise?

Answer 36

Yes, flour straight from the freezer inhibits rise and yields denser baked goods; lay it out on a sheet tray at least 30 minutes before using.

Question 37

Classic bran muffins rely on unprocessed what?

Answer 37

Wheat bran

Question 38

Bran cereal can come n various forms which include what?

Answer 38

Flakes, buds and twigs.

Question 39

Bran flakes for muffins.

Answer 39

Often made with whole wheat in addition to bran and give muffins very little flavor.

Question 40

Small bran buds for muffins.

Answer 40

Make dense muffins with almost no bran flavor.

Question 41

Cereal made with bran twigs like All-Bran for muffins.

Answer 41

Give muffins robust flavor.

Question 42

Does presoaking twigs work for bran muffins?

Answer 42

No, it makes them dense as a hockey puck.

Question 43

Best way to incorporate twigs into batter.

Answer 43

Grinding half into powder and leave the other whole creates muffins with an even but not heavy texture.

Question 44

What flour should you use for bran muffins?

Answer 44

Mixing AP and whole wheat reinforces the bran flavor.

Question 45

What did replacing baking powder for baking soda do to bran muffins?

Answer 45

Created a coarser crumb tasters preferred.

Question 46

How to plump raisins before mixing in batter.

Answer 46

Place in hot water.

Question 47

How should you fill muffin tins for large, nicely domed tops?

Answer 47

Fill muffin tins to the rim and mound batter without leveling off.

Question 48

Why do people say empty muffin cups should be filled with water? Does it work?

Answer 48

To ensure the metal doesn’t warp and acting as a “heat sink” to ensure that muffins next to empty cups heat evenly (avoid stunted growth). Test kitchen found no differences or warping no matter how muffins were made. If pan warps it’s a sign that u need a better quality pan.

Question 49

In blueberry muffins, why is berry flavor often fleeting? How do you fix this?

Answer 49

Berries in the produce aisle have suffered from long distance shipping. Making a jam (evaporating moisture and concentrating flavor) is the best method; supermarket jam is too sweet.

Question 50

Why should butter and oil be used in blueberry muffins?

Answer 50

Unlike butter, oil contains no water and is able to completely coat flour proteins and restrict them from absorbing liquid to develop gluten; butter still contributes tons of flavor.

Question 51

How do you add jam to blueberry muffins?

Answer 51

Place in the center, under the surface, and swirl in figure eight motion using chopsticks.

Question 52

Flour is made from what?

Answer 52

Wheat

Question 53

Name a few uses for flour.

Answer 53

Important role in baked goods, thickener in stews and sauces and a base for breaded coatings on meat.

Question 54

What is bran?

Answer 54

The hard outer layer of the wheat kernel that is often removed for the production of refined white flour. It is filled with fiber and a small amount (9% by weight) of fatty acids; it include the protein rich aleurone layer as well.

Question 55

What is the endosperm?

Answer 55

Large collection of cells in the center of the wheat kernel that store nourishment for the germ. About 80% of the endosperm is made up of starch. The endosperm composes about 75% of a kernel of wheat and is often the only part of the kernel that is consumed after milling wheat berries.

Question 56

Refined white flour is made only of what?

Answer 56

Endosperm

Question 57

What is the germ (embryo)?

Answer 57

Reproductive part of a wheat kernel and is rich in enzymes, fat and, as a result, flavor. Along with the bran, it is a key component of whole grains.

Question 58

When and why is sifting flour important?

Answer 58

When making a delicate cake such as genoise or sponge cake that requires flour to be folded into beaten eggs and sugar, sifted flour can be added quickly and distributed evenly (because sifting aerates the flour), thereby reducing risk of deflating the batter.

Question 59

If you bake, what three flours should you keep on hand? Explain.

Answer 59

Bread, AP and cake have a protein content that varies; they absorb water differently. The same amount of water might make a soupy batter with a cup of cake flour but a nice, firm dough with bread flour. More protein means more gluten, which, in turn, can translate to coarseness, chewiness, toughness, or crispness.

Question 60

Most versatile flour available.

Answer 60

AP flour.

Question 61

Percentage of protein in AP flour.

Answer 61

10 to 11.7%

Question 62

% of protein in King Arthur flour.

Answer 62

Close to 11.7%

Question 63

% of protein is Pillsbury Gold Medal flour.

Answer 63

Around 10.5%

Question 64

Problem with bleached flour in test kitchen.

Answer 64

Did not perform as well as unbleached flours and were sometimes criticized for tasting flat or carrying off flavors.

Question 65

Protein content of cake flour. Benefits?

Answer 65

About 6 to 8% and thus yields cakes and pastries with less gluten, which translates to finer, more delicate crumb.

Question 66

Can Gold Medal make sandwich bread and cake?

Answer 66

Yes, 10.5% provides enough structure to make good sandwich bread, yet it’s light enough to use for cakes of medium to coarse crumb.

Question 67

Is most cake flour bleached? Why?

Answer 67

Yes, it affects the starches in flour so that it can absorb greater amounts of liquid and fat; most cakes have so much fat and sugar it’s difficult to detect any off-notes in the flour caused by the bleaching process.

Question 68

How can you make 1 cup of cake flour on the fly?

Answer 68

7/8 cup of AP flour and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.

Question 69

Protein content of bread flour.

Answer 69

12 to 14%

Question 70

What is bread flour good for?

Answer 70

It develops a lot of gluten to provide strong, chewy structure for rustic breads, especially those made with little or no fat. AP is better for sandwich bread because it creates a softer crumb.

Question 71

What is whole wheat flour made of?

Answer 71

All three parts of the wheat kernel–the endosperm as well as the fiber rich bran, or outer shell, and the tiny, vitamin packed germ.

Question 72

What does the presence of germ and bran do for whole wheat flour?

Answer 72

More nutritious, flavorful, dense and less able to rise.

Question 73

Why doesn’t test kitchen generally like breads made with 100% whole wheat flour?

Answer 73

They are more dense and can be sour tasting; a combo of AP and whole wheat is better.

Question 74

What is pastry flour?

Answer 74

A soft wheat flour with a protein content between that of AP flour and cake flour.

Question 75

What is pastry flour often used for?

Answer 75

Pie crusts, tart pastry, scones, and other similarly buttery baked goods (biscuits and shortbread).

Question 76

Is it worth spending the money on pastry flour?

Answer 76

Test kitchen believes it performs well in certain applications but it’s not worth the money unless you’re a professional baker.

Question 77

What is self rising flour?

Answer 77

It contains a leavener and is made from a soft flour that brings it closer to cake flour than AP flour.

Question 78

Cake flour vs self rising flour according to test kitchen.

Answer 78

We’ve found the convenience of self rising flour to be pretty minor and recommend using cake flour in its stead; just add the baking powder and salt yourself.

Question 79

Formula for homemade self rising flour.

Answer 79

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt for every cup of flour.