BakingAsked Aug 05, 2021 by Marianne S.
Generally for baking cakes, pies, Etc. Does Convection mode produce best results or Standard/conventional mode?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Marianne - We exclusively use conventional bake when developing our recipes at Milk Street. In our experience elsewhere, we have found that convection baking is best when browning or drying is the goal. For example, when roasting meats or toasting or crisping such as in making granola, crisp cookies (biscotti), or dried fruit or vegetables. Otherwise, we have not found much improvement in cooking with convection for cakes or pies. In fact, in some cases, the air that blows the heat around on the convection cycle can cause certain, more delicate, baked goods to rise unevenly or pie doughs to be more likely to slump. Best, The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Jun 21, 2021 by Katheryn E.
How do I remove the parchment after the cake is cooled without ruining the top?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Katheryn - You don't need to remove the parchment. The cake is baked in a springform pan lined with parchment. Once you remove the sides of the springform pan you can slide your spatula under the cake to remove. The parchment should stick to the bottom of the pan, not the cake, so you should be able to remove the slices without the parchment. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Jun 15, 2021 by Mitchell G.
I've been on a baguette baking kick recently and gave some to friends. One of them gifted me back some King Arthur Bread Flour with the not-so-subtle hint that if I turn it into more bread, they'd be glad to help consume it :-) However, I use AP flour for my baguettes, using a recipe from King Arthur's website.
I know KA's Bread Flour has a higher protein count than other bread flours. If I use it, for any kind of bread, do I need to make any adjustments because of the higher protein?
Thanks!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Mitchell - Since you are very familiar with your recipe, you can try making it with KA bread flour. When substituting flours I always think it's best to know the recipe well so you know how the dough is supposed to feel and look and can make adjustments. I actually think it might be nice with bread flour, since it will make it more chewy. You might find a difference in the size of the holes inside the loaf, which may or may not be desirable. You won't know until you try! Make sure to substitute with an equal amount \by weight\. KA bread flour has 12.7% protein, while their all-purpose flour is 11.7%. King Arthur's AP flour is already pretty high in protein compared to other brands so I expect it will be pretty easy to make the substitution. Dough made with bread flour absorbs slightly more liquid so pay attention to the texture of the dough and add a little more water if you feel it's necessary. Otherwise, I think this should work just fine. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked May 13, 2021 by Sally J.
Would it be possible to substitute dark rye flour in this recipe in place of rye flour? The source of the dark rye flour is Bob’s Red Mill.
Many thanks for all that you do for us!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Sally - We haven't tested the recipe with dark rye flour so we can't say for sure what the results will be. That being said, a darker rye flour will yield a sticky toffee pudding with a more prominent rye flavor and, potentially, a denser texture. Also, be sure to substitute by weight rather than by volume to account for the difference in weight per cup. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked May 12, 2021 by Chelsea H.
Is it okay to freeze the single-crust pie dough? If so, can it be done as a 4-inch disk? Or should it be fully blind-baked and then frozen? Thanks!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Chelsea - You can freeze this for sure. I do it all the time around the holidays. You can freeze as a disk or roll and shape and freeze in the pie dish (unbaked). I wouldn't bake before freezing, though, for fear that the dough would lose too much moisture. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 22, 2021 by Jean D.
For making the cooktop chocolate cake which calls for 2 large eggs. How can I accommodate this without ruining cake. Can I mix the 2 extra-large together and then use a fraction of that mixture? Thanks for you help. Love that Spanish almond cake. Made 2 yesterday for birthday gifts.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Jean - Since the recipe only calls for 2 eggs I doubt the size difference will have much of an effect. A large egg is yields 3 1/4 Tablespoons and an extra-large egg yields 4 tablespoons, which means an overall addition of 1 1/2 tablespoons. I don't think that will have much of an impact on the overall texture of the cake. Using the correct egg size is much more important when there are a lot more eggs in a recipe or eggs are the primary ingredient (meringue, angel food cake, etc.). You should be fine with extra large eggs for this one! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 15, 2021 by Anne L.
I love the Yogurt Loaf Cake with Coriander and Orange from JF21. What toasted spice would you suggest to go with a lemon zest version of this cake?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Anne - I think cardamom or ginger would be great with lemon. A combo of the two would be excellent as well! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 13, 2021 by Theresa M.
I'm haunted by a childhood memory of making a chocolate cake in our cast iron pan (may or maynot have been recipe specific). In my memory I thought this was a Hershey's syrup can recipe. Hershey's has no recollection of this. I've no idea of other brands which may have been in my NH area, but I recall a very moist "self-frosting" cake which, when inverted after a 10 minute rest would drip chocolate goo down the sides of a perfectly done easy-enough-for-a-10 yr old-to make cake. I'm hoping SOMEONE in the hive might both validate my memory and maybe have a copy of the paper which wrapped that can and share a recipe. The child in my thanks you in advance!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Theresa - This is basically a chocolate pudding cake. The current recipe on the Hershey's website calls for cocoa powder, sugar, and water, not Hershey's syrup but at some point it probably did. Many food manufacturers in the 1960s, an era of cake mixes and time-saving recipes, would alter recipes to try to sell products that could be used in the recipe, so it's possible they had a version using Hershey's syrup in place of the cocoa powder, brown sugar and water. The only version I could find made with syrup was a version that is intended for food service and scaled beyond what a home cook would want. But I wonder if you could take the recipe that calls for making the sauce with cocoa powder, sugar, and water and replace that with chocolate syrup? That's probably how I would start if I were recreating this recipe. My guess is that the basics of that one on the Hershey's site now is the same as it was in the 60s. There was probably a brief time when it had Hershey's syrup in it instead. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 07, 2021 by Carol K.
My friend in Canada has been making the focaccia with tomatoes and olives. She does not think that the dough is pourable or “sloshy” enough. Could there be a difference between Canadian and American bread flour. What would be a good solution to this problem? Should she add more water or lessen the amount of flour? Any suggestions appreciated.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Carol - I think the difference is in the flour. Canadian bread flour is higher in protein than most U.S. brands of bread flour (even King Arthur, which is generally touted as the highest). Canadian all-purpose flour is actually much closer to our bread flour. I would also ensure she is weighing the flour. Canadian flour is more finely milled than American flour and could cause the proportions of flour to water to be off as well. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Mar 16, 2021 by Nancy K.
I've become intrigued with almond flour baking recently. I'm not GF, just am looking for variety. I've tried almond flour scones with unsatisfactory results. All the recipes I find call for melted butter, instead of cold butter cut in to the dry ingredients. The resulting dough is more like a sticky batter, and the texture is odd. Would it work to use a more traditional method (cold butter cut in like pastry) with almond flour? Should I sub some wheat flour for some of the almond flour? Thanks!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Nancy - Since you are just adding almond flour for flavor, I would start by substitute a smaller amount of almond flour for wheat flour. We generally recommend substituting no more than 1/4 of the flour in the recipe with almond flour. Since almond flour lacks gluten and is much higher in fat and moisture than all-purpose flour, any more than that will significantly throw off the texture of baked goods. Best, Lynn C.
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