BakingAsked Feb 12, 2023 by Roberta H.
I'm looking for a salted caramel filling for a wedding cake. Something with a spreadable consistency, not on the saucy side.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Roberta,
I'm afraid that we don't have a recipe for a salted caramel filling or frosting in our repertoire at the time. We do have a cream cheese caramel one adapted from a Cheryl Day recipe, but I don't think that's what you are looking for. Caramel frosting is a specialty of Southern baking so there are many sources available online and in cookbooks. Myrecipes.com is a good source source for caramel frosting recipes.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Jan 22, 2023 by Beth W.
I have been making a variety of Milk Street tray bakes and am always leery about using extra vergin olive oil so use a super light olive oil instead. Is regular EVOO fine for baking under 400 degrees?
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Beth,
Thank you for using our recipes for your tray bakes. Extra virgin olive oil is fine for baking below 400 degrees. When the oil is mixed in with other ingredients, as a marinade or seasoning, rather than just oiling the surface of the baking dish, it should be fine at even higher temperatures.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Jan 21, 2023 by Tamara C.
The recipe appeared in the Jan-Feb Milk Street magazine. Has anyone made this cake? I’ve never seen a cake recipe that calls for salted butter. There’s also 1/2 teaspoon salt. I’m wondering if the “salted” butter is a mistake.
Planning on baking this cake tomorrow, any response would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Tamara
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Tamara,
Our recipe developers made the cake multiple times until it met with the approval of everyone at Milk Street. While it may seem unusual to use salted butter in baking, we find that it generally balances the sweetness and other flavors in baked goods. We also adjust the added salt in recipes accordingly.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Nov 21, 2022 by Robert S.
Hello,
At the end of the Thanksgiving Special Podcast (episode #631), Chris Kimball talked about how one of his favorite Thanksgiving traditions is making his whole wheat soda bread. Would Chris be willing to share that recipe?
Thank you and happy Thanksgiving.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Robert,
We apologize for the delay in responding to your query about the soda bread. You can find the recipe at this link
Recipes From Our 2022 Thanksgiving Potluck
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Oct 20, 2022 by Marianne A.
In your September 30th podcast, there was a question about why the final temperature of a baked good, cake or bread is not given in recipes even though it is more precise than color or touch. Christopher Kimball said that it was a great question. How about Milk Street starting to do this or to develop a general table of temperatures that can be used to judge when a cake or bread is ready. If you start that trend, other will follow and it will become more ubiquitous.
Thanks for listening
Answered by April Dodd
Marianne - in fact, we have already created this table! You can refer to this helpful guide to make informed choices about final temperatures for baked goods: https://www.177milkstreet.com/2017/10/unconventional-temps
Read MoreAsked Aug 19, 2022 by Stacie P.
For the pie crust recipe with the corn starch, what is the recommendation for freezing it? Can I freeze it in the disc right after I make it?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Stacie - You can definitely freeze this pie crust! Just make sure it's well protected by first, wrapping it in plastic, and then placing it in a gallon-sized freezer bag after you've formed it into a disc. This will keep it safe from freezer burn or picking up any off flavors from the freezer. Then thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before you want to use it. Best, The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Jun 08, 2022 by Beth N.
I took this recipe from the Irish examiner and carefully transposed the recipe to US measurements: 1/4 c sugar, little less than 1/2 c flour and 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter and it was flat and very oily. I beat the eggs vigorously as they were the only leavening ingredient but am not sure what I did wrong. I love the idea of a simple, light and not too large sponge and can't find anything comparable online to this recipe.
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
1. Melt the butter without getting it very hot. Then mix all the ingredients except the rhubarb and beat vigorously.
1. Spread the mixture over a well-greased Swiss roll tin and cover with the diced rhubarb.
1. Sprinkle generously with sugar and bake for 45 minutes, lowering the heat slightly if cake looks like getting too brown. Cut into slices and remove them carefully with a spatula to cool on a cake-rack.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 270g butter
- 50g sugar
- 50g flour
- 1 dessertspoon lemon juice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 400g rhubarb, diced
- pinch of grated nutmeg
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Beth - It seems like something is off with this recipe. That is 19 tablespoons of butter for only 1/2 cup of flour - even accounting for differences in flour from country to country or the possibility that they are using self-rising flour, that ratio of fat to flour is \way\ off. I can’t imagine it would yield anything other than what you describe. Unfortunately we don’t have a recipe for this in our archives, but I would search for a simple rhubarb cake as an alternative. Best, The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Apr 05, 2022 by Carol J.
I had never heard of toasting sugar before. I didn't even know that was possible! Is it worth the effort and does this really make a difference you can taste or is it more of a novelty?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Carol - I would definitely say that, for certain applications, it definitely makes a difference. When you toast or roast sugar it develops more caramel-like flavors and becomes less sweet overall. In desserts where sugar is there for sweetness but also structure (e.g., meringues, marshmallows, ice cream), it can tame the sweetness. We find it a perfect addition to angel food cake. Since it has so few ingredients, the sugar is really at the forefront. Roasted sugar makes the flavor more complex and less simply sweet. Hope that helps! Best, The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Feb 20, 2022 by Melody F.
I'm a novice baker. I live in the Denver metro area and at my house, we are a little more than a mile high. I made the Glazed Sour Cream and Brown Sugar Bundt Cake and it fell creating a nice trough around the center. I measured very carefully using weights where those were provided. I was very careful to follow all of the directions as written. Would the altitude account for this problem and if so what should I do differently next time? By the way, the cake is absolutely delicious!
Thank-you.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Melody - It's very likely the altitude. Baking at altitude is a pretty complex subject and there are a lot of variables you need to account for in order to produce the same product at altitude as at sea level. This guide from Colorado State will help guide you to modify recipes when baking at high altitude. Best, The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Feb 01, 2022 by L K.
Unlike most bread recipes I've made, the Butternut Squash brioche does not include instructions to punch down the dough after the first proofing & before refrigerating the dough. Is this an error or intentional? Thanks/
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi L.K. - "Punching down" the dough is sort of antiquated term since most bread bakers prefer to be a little more gentle with their dough. For example, in a focaccia or artisan loaf you don't want to knock all of the air out or you won't get that light, bubbly texture inside. The goal in punching it down is to simply prevent it from over proofing. Since we are cutting and rolling this dough to form it, there's no need for a formal "punch down" as the cutting and rolling process will deflate it enough to prevent over proofing. Best, The Milk Street Team
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