Baking

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mary - how disappointing! You've already done a lot of side-by-side testing to determine what is causing the problem, which is exactly what we would do here. I would say it's probably not anything related to your cupcake recipe or how you are baking them with a couple exceptions. If the Swedish cupcake liners are bigger than the traditional liners and you're adding more batter to those they may be under-baked and that could cause them to pull away from the liners. Also, make sure to remove them from the cupcake pan very soon after baking. It's possible the added moisture as they cool could be causing these particular liners to pull away during cooling. Although, I'm guessing these aren't the problem. I think it's the construction of the liners. "Greaseproof" sounds like a good idea but, in this case, you \want\ the batter to stick to the liner as is cooks. In doing a little research, many people have similar issues with this brand of liners so I don't think there is a quick fix. Sadly, I think if you really want to use that particular brand you'd have to do as suggested and bake in inexpensive liners and then transfer to the Swedish ones. Otherwise, I'd search around for a different brand of attractive liner that works better. I've had good luck with some of the thin, tulip-shaped liners. They aren't necessarily as colorful, but they do make the cupcakes more attractive. I wish I could be more helpful. Good luck and let us know if you find something that works! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Denise - I don't know of any reason why adding the oil last would improve the quick bread. All of our quick bread recipes call for mixing all the wet ingredients together and then adding to the dry and folding gently to combine. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mel - I prefer organic powdered sugar. In organic powdered sugar tapioca, rather than cornstarch, is used to prevent caking. The tapioca has a smoother mouth feel and is less gritty on the tongue. Also, organic powdered sugar has cane sugar, which has a more complex, caramel-like flavor than granulated sugar and cuts back on some of the cloying sweetness. One caution though – if you are using powdered sugar just for decorating - that is, sifting over the top of something - it does have a tendency to melt quicker due to its higher moisture content. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Peter - Baked goods are successful due to the delicate balance of the ingredients a recipe developer has determined based on food science and testing. Sugar affects the texture and rise in baked goods and there's no hard-and-fast formula for baking with reduced sugar that will cover every single thing you bake. King Arthur has a good article on reducing sugar in recipes. As suggested in the article, you'll want to use a scale that measures in grams and adjust your recipes using baker's percentages, a formula professional bakers use to scale recipes in order to account for the sugar's impact on structure, moisture, and rise. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Chi - you don't \have\ to temper the eggs when making a pastry cream. See this recipe from Martha Stewart where everything goes in the pot at once. You\do\ need to stir constantly to keep the eggs from forming clumps. Tempering works because the addition of the liquid dilutes the egg proteins making it harder for them to combine and form those clumps. A tempered mixture is already warm so it takes less time to come to a boil and, therefore, requires less stirring and time. But, as long as you stir constantly, you can get the same results from adding the eggs and liquid together from the start. I would still recommend running it through a fine-mesh strainer after cooking to strain our any curds that may have formed despite your best efforts. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Alix - Unfortunately, we haven't used cookie stamps for any recipes at Milk Street so I can't give you any tested advice. However, here are some of my personal suggestions - Choose the right style of cookie - a shortbread or sablè cookie is probably best for stamping. That's because these don't contain any leavener or eggs (or only egg yolks), which makes them less likely to rise or spread and impact the design. Don't overmix the dough - when creaming the butter and sugar, you want to make sure to mix the butter and sugar thoroughly but you don't want to beat too long or at too high a speed. This will incorporate too much air which will cause the cookies to spread during baking and affect the stamped design. Flour the stamp very well before stamping the cookies - you want to be able to make a relatively deep impression without the stamp sticking to the dough. Chill the cookies before baking - put the stamped cookies in the fridge before baking. I'd say about an hour. Cold cookies won't spread in the oven and will hold the stamped shapes. I hope these suggestions are helpful and lead to some beautiful stamped cookies! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mildred and Anne - I agree! I will pass this along to our editorial team and, hopefully, when travel reopens we can get to Belgium to try some authentic versions. In the meantime, I’ve heard good things about this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Patrice - The quick answer is "no." The higher protein content in bread flour is responsible for that chew we all love in breads and pizza dough. That same higher protein content translates to crumbly cookies and dense cakes. For more information on our testing around this, check out our Off the Air column from Fall 2018. I understand that it's frustrating right now with the lack of all-purpose flour on the shelves. If you can find cake flour, I would recommend that as a better sub for all-purpose flour in cakes and cookies. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Jennifer - I'd love to help you with your walnut cookie issues, but it's hard to determine where the problem is without seeing the recipe. Would you be willing to post it here? For chewy chocolate chip cookies, I'd recommend three things - 1.) using melted butter - melted butter will create a denser, chewier cookie since you're not incorporating air into the cookie by creaming the butter; 2.) use some brown sugar - brown sugar is more hygroscopic than white sugar, meaning it retains moisture and helps keep the cookies moist, not dry; and 3.) pull the cookies out of the oven when the edges are just set and the centers are still slightly underdone. Let them finish baking on the sheet so they won't overbake. Overbaked cookies are probably the #1 reason for crunchy, not chewy, chocolate chip cookies. Good luck with your chocolate chip cookies and let us know about the recipe for your walnut cookies and we can try to help solve your rock hard cookie problem. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Lynn - I don't think there's a real issue in altering small-scale recipes by simply doubling the ingredients. This theory that it matters may come more from commercial baking production where it would likely make a greater difference. The only caveats is to make sure that the doubled amount can fit comfortably in your mixer so your dough or batter can mix properly. If you can't incorporate enough air during mixing, the cake may be dense and even potentially fall while baking if it lacks structure. Stella Parks over at Serious Eats has a great article on scaling recipes for different sized pans that also talks a little bit about doubling (she's firmly in the camp of "it's fine to double a small-scale recipe" too). Hope that helps! Best, Lynn