BakingAsked Feb 24, 2021 by Karol N.
When baking pound cakes and bundt cakes, I always worry about over baking and having the cakes come out dry. I always set my timer for less time than it calls for and know how to test for doneness with a cake tester, the touch test and checking to see if the cakes come away from the side of the pan. In my opinion, a minute or two or three can make the difference in a perfectly moist cake and a dry cake and whether or not I want to serve it or throw it out. I'm sure there are a lot of different opinions about "perfectly moist". I was wondering if you know what the internal temperature of a perfectly baked cake should be and can an instant read thermometer be used to check this. Thank you!
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hi Karol -
200°F - 210°F for bundt cakes
210°F for pound cakes
Read MoreAsked Feb 11, 2021 by Karen S.
Hi there
i find it virtually impossible to find plain whole milk regular yogurt in the grocery stores. And I live in Seattle for heavens sake! When I’m baking a muffin recipe and it calls for yogurt, I take the Greek yogurt I always have and add milk till it sort of looks like regular. Not very precise, especially before baking. Do you have a ratio that is more exact?
thanks much, Karen
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Karen - American-style yogurt still contains whey, so it has more moisture and a thinner, runnier consistency. Greek-style yogurt is made by allowing the watery whey to drain from yogurt, giving it a smooth, thick texture. We generally find 3/4 Greek yogurt plus 1/4 cup water to replicate the consistency of plain yogurt. Just make sure to use whole-milk yogurt regardless of whether it is Greek or American-style. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Feb 05, 2021 by Mitchell G.
I just made baguettes with a recipe that called for a poolish, fermented starter, and it blew me away. It added wonderful flavor and the dough was so easy to work with.
I only found one article on Milk Street that seemed directly related and it was about stretching a small amount of yeast (https://www.177milkstreet.com/2020/05/yeast-shortage-baking-tip). (A post Hanukkah miracle - instead of one loaf of bread, the yeast lasted for eight loaves :-)
A few questions:
1. Is there a difference between a poolish and a biga? It seems like French/Italian terms for the same thing.
1. Typically, when I make bread or pizza, I do a slow-rise/ferment in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Would incorporating a poolish/biga allow me to shorten that without losing the flavor development, or maybe even getting more? Would you recommend it?
1. If I were to adjust a recipe like this, should I keep the ingredients the same? For example, if the recipe calls for 3 cups of flour and I use 1 cup for the poolish/biga, would I just use 2 cups in the rest of the recipe? Same for the liquid and pinch of yeast? (I'm hoping it's that simple). In the article above, they say it replaces the recipes yeast. For mine, I used the same amount of yeast I usually do, I just put a pinch of it in the poolish.
Thanks!
Mitch
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Mitch -
I'll try to answer your questions in order:
Different recipe authors use different terms for exactly the same pre-ferment made with commercial yeast. What one calls a biga, another refers to as a poolish (a Polish term adopted by French bakers), pâte fermentée (prefermented dough), or sponge. A levain is what one would call a pre-ferment using natural yeast (this would be like a sourdough starter). When a preferment is added to a dough, it not only accelerates fermentation but is itself a partially developed dough, which reduces mixing time. Often a poolish is more hydrated (usually 1:1 ratio of flour to water) than a biga or sponge, but there aren't any hard and fast rules on what, exactly, the hydration levels are for a biga or sponge.
A lot is going to depend on how much preferment you use. For example, people use different amounts of the preferment (some even change the ratios of flour and water), change the yeast quantities, they use different water temperatures and pre-fermentation temperatures and times. Some even refrigerate it. Each combination will have its own different and unique effect on the dough (including its strength) and the finished crust characteristics, including the taste and flavor of the finished crust, and its color, texture and aroma. Whether you feel the preferment could replace the slower, cold ferment will depend on what you think about the flavor with just the preferment. Cold fermented doughs allow different types of bacterias and yeasts to flourish, which secrete acetic acid giving a generally sourer flavor. Pre-Ferments are usually done at room temperature which promotes lactic acid development.
Yes, typically the small amount of yeast in the poolish would be all of the yeast in the recipe. As Matt mentions in the article above, the proofing stages of the dough will be a bit longer. And, yes, however much flour or water you use in your poolish/biga should be taken out of the total amount of flour and water.
Hope that answers your questions sufficiently!
Best,
Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Dec 10, 2020 by Sue H.
Please could someone give me a way to convert US flour to UK flour types.
I would love to be able to adjust my US flours to equate to UK plain flour and UK self raising flour.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Sue - Plain flour is the British version of all-purpose flour, but with a much lower 7- to 10-percent protein content (American all-purpose flour is made with harder wheat, creating a 10-to 11-percent protein level). This can change the texture of tender-crumbed baked goods such as scones and sponge cakes but won’t affect those that require more gluten development, like cinnamon rolls. For more delicate desserts, I would use cake flour, which has 8 percent protein and is a closer match to plain flour. American self-rising flour contains baking powder \and\ salt, since this type of flour is often used to create Southern-style biscuits. UK self-raising flour contains only the baking powder and has a lower protein percentage. They’re basic equivalents, but tweaking may be required depending on the recipe. Pay attention to the salt content of the recipe and adjust accordingly. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Nov 09, 2020 by Jean D.
I think I’ve made a costly mistake and I hope you can help recover. I store my flour in the freezer at King Arthur Flour suggestion. I mistakenly put my almond flour in the freezer too and now have a rock-hard mass. Is there a way to recover the flour or something else I can use it for? I haven’t tried defrosting it.
Love your podcasts and website.
Thank you,
Jean D
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Jean - We always store our almond flour in the freezer to keep it fresh too. It will somewhat solidify, but you can usually break it up pretty easily so it's not a solid mass. I always scoop out what I need and let it come to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Oct 05, 2020 by Sarah M.
Hi There,
My partner is allergic to nuts but everything I want to bake inevitably requires almond flour... I know it's usually OK to substitute with all-purpose but I've read different things about the ratio. Some sources use a 1:1 ratio, others say 2:1 (for 2 cups of almond, sub 1 cup of all-purpose). Could you weigh in on the general rule in this regard?
I'm also wondering about eggs. I've read some sources that say to decrease the amount of eggs by up to half when swapping out almond flour for all-purpose.
The particular recipe I want to try (included in the attachment below) is for poppy seed cake, which calls for 1/2 a cup of almond flour (in addition to 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour) and 5 large egg whites. In the interest of not having to make multiple attempts, and waste ingredients could you advise:
a- HOW MUCH extra all-purpose flour to use in place of the almond flour,
b- How many egg whites (whole eggs?) (if any) should I subtract?
c- What (if any) influence will this have on baking time?
\\\* Same questions in regards to using coconut flour (in place of all-purpose) as a substitute for the almond. I know this is a ton trickier because of how absorbent it is. Would you add eggs/egg whites in this case?
Thanks so much, Milk Street is my canon, in the kitchen and out!
Sarah
Sacramento
(917) 405-1496
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Tim and Sarah -
We are sorry we missed your question, Sarah.
These substitutions would require us to perform lots of tests as well in order to provide reliable and trusted recommendations, which we, unfortunately, don't have the time to do with our already-packed kitchen schedule.
We are so sorry we can't provide more specifics, but we hope you understand.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Sep 27, 2020 by Linda W.
I've been trying to figure out how to make a cake my mom made in the '60s. It was similar to gingerbread - one layer in an 8x8 pan. The unusual thing is that you could turn it out of the pan and it had a glaze in the bottom that would drip over the cake. I thought I had found the answer when I saw an episode of the Great British Baking Show in which they made self-saucing puddings. But when I tried making a recipe for that, the sauce had more of a gravy consistency than a glaze.
Mom's spice cake/gingerbread had something more like what is at the bottom of a pineapple upside down cake, but there was no fruit in it.
I will keep experimenting with the self-saucing pudding idea, but would love advice/input from others on this. Thank you!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Linda - This sounds like a pudding cake, for sure. We have a recipe on the website for a Maple-Whisky Pudding Cake (baked in individual ramekins) but the cake doesn't get turned out - the glaze-y sauce starts at the top and ends up at the bottom of the ramekin.Two tips with this kind of cake - 1.) make sure to pour the sauce in and let it sit on top of the cake batter, don't stir! and 2.) don't over-bake the cake. If you do, the sauce becomes a bit thicker and isn't as distinct. Others here may have some ideas, but I think a search for a gingerbread pudding cake would probably yield a good starting point. You could then experiment with turning the cake out rather than leaving it in the pan as most recipes do. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Sep 01, 2020 by Barbara K.
It looks like Maid of Scandanavia is out of business. Is there a similar company that offers all the baking supplies that MOS did?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Barbara - I'm not super familiar with Maid of Scandinavia, but in my quick research I think it was a cake supply company? Is that correct? If so, I think Wilton is probably the next best source. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Aug 31, 2020 by Mark R.
Hi. Is there a thickness that you would recommend for a pizza steel? Thanks
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Mark - The ones we use in the Milk Street kitchen (and what I use at home) are 1/4" thick. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Aug 05, 2020 by Marianne M.
I'd like to make the wet pour pizza dough but don't have a standup mixer. Any way to make without?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Marianne - I believe someone on the board made it by hand successfully. See this thread for details - https://www.177milkstreet.com/discussion/discussion/comment/714#Comment\_714. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read More 
