Questions about cooking by dry heat without direct exposure to a flame, typically in an oven.
1
vote
1answer
71 views
Can I make a latticed cream pie (no-bake filling)?
I want to experiment with a cream pie with a nonbaked filling (containing whipped cream, thickened with gelatine - basically a flavored diplomat cream). But for aesthetical reasons, as well as a ...
2
votes
2answers
329 views
How to make a lattice pie crust?
I just made a lattice pie crust for the first time. The best I can say about it is that it wasn't a total disaster. So I would like to know what is the proper way to make it.
How much dough do I ...
6
votes
1answer
169 views
What is meant by “place 4 inches apart on cookie tray”?
Does this mean place some cookie dough every 4 inches (i.e. 4 inches center-to-center), or have a 4 inch gap between each cookie?
3
votes
3answers
329 views
What to place beneath the vegetables before placing them on the baking tray?
In order to prevent their surface from burning, what can be placed beneath vegetables to be roasted before placing them on the baking tray?
I am thinking of applying oil to the tray, but I'm not sure ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Can I make buckwheat flour starting from toasted buckwheat?
My wife asked me to buy "buckwheat" and I did, but she meant buckwheat flour (for making bread) and I got toasted buckwheat instead.
I don't want to throw it out if I don't have to. We have a mortar ...
4
votes
2answers
472 views
How to keep the fruit on an upside-down cake?
I made an upside-down pineapple cake. It consisted of a layer of buttered caramel, a layer of pineapple pieces, and a layer of batter, baked together. I pressed the batter between the pineapple pieces ...
0
votes
2answers
143 views
What is an easy way to turn a heavy-ish cake?
I don't have a metal cake pan. I bake my normal cakes and cake layers in a pan with a glass bottom and silicone walls, and cakes which can be expected to leak in a porcelain quiche pan.
Sadly, my ...
5
votes
3answers
370 views
How to create fruity or grassy shortbread cookies?
I saw a recipe for green tea shortbread cookies with white ganache filling and fell in love with it. But here, it is quite hard to get any matcha, the few Amazon marketplace sellers have very high ...
2
votes
3answers
6k views
How to convert a muffin/cupcake recipe to a large muffin recipe
I'm looking at the side of my "breakfast - O - meal" box at a recipe for 12 muffins. The kind you would use with a standard muffin tin. What kind of variation should can I use to make the recipe work ...
2
votes
2answers
115 views
What adjustments are needed to change a pie recipe to a turnover recipe?
I want to make turnovers (e.g. a similar product is popular at McDonalds), instead of pie in a pan. Is this simply a matter of making a dumpling-shape with the dough, and then putting the fruit ...
3
votes
1answer
826 views
Why and when do you need to dock dough?
When making a pie, you almost always have to make holes in the dough with a fork. This is called docking.
What is the exact reason for doing this? Are there kinds of pastry (puff, short crust, flaky) ...
17
votes
1answer
3k views
Can you re-use parchment paper when baking batches of cookies?
I just finished making cookies. The dough was enough to make multiple batches. I only have one baking sheet. Every time a batch was ready, I used new parchment paper on the baking sheet. Is this ...
9
votes
6answers
9k views
Best way to cleanly cut brownies?
So, I'm on a brownie kick, and am currently playing around with baking batches of brownies in 9"x13" pans. I want each batch to yield 15 brownies (so I'm aiming for brownies that are around 3"x2.5") ...
2
votes
2answers
3k views
How should I alter a chocolate cake recipe to make plain/flavoured cake?
I have a really good chocolate cake recipe. It's so good that I want to use it as a base for all my cakes. How do I alter this recipe to make different cakes like vanilla, lemon, coconut, etc.?
I ...
0
votes
0answers
155 views
modifying brownie mix [closed]
So I'm still not sure if this is an "appropriate" question, but does anyone have any good suggestions for modifications to Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix?
I've played around with replacing ...
4
votes
1answer
20k views
What can I substitute for vegetable oil in a recipe?
Is there something that I can use as a substitute for vegetable oil in a recipe? I'm actually making cornbread (I think it matters), and normally the recipe calls for 1/3 cup vegetable oil. ...
2
votes
1answer
713 views
Why do my cookies deflate when coming out of the oven?
Immediately after I remove my cookies from the oven, they start to deflate and lose some of their puffiness. What are the primary causes of this?
This occurs with both old and new baking soda; ...
5
votes
1answer
336 views
How should I organize making a cake days ahead?
My wife's birthday is coming up and I want to make a cake for her.
I was thinking of making a layer of sponge cake, amarena cherry sauce (cherries, wine and sugar), chocolate mousse, another layer of ...
2
votes
1answer
535 views
How to recognize when American style chewy cookies are done?
I made chewy chocolate chip cookies. The recipe gave baking time suggestions, but noted
check your cookies before they’re done; depending on your scoop size,
your baking time will vary
and ...
3
votes
1answer
364 views
Adapting graham cracker crust to all-natural graham crackers
Popular recipes for graham cracker pie crust are generally based on Nabisco Honey Maid or similar mass-market, not-really-graham-flour-crackers.
Example recipe (American measurements):
1.5 cups ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
Do the cup cakes bake faster in a 24 hole cup cake tray rather than a 12 hole cup cake tray?
The cupcakes cook faster than the big one piece cakes, so does it make sense to assume that the cup cakes bake faster in a 24 hole cup cake tray rather than a 12 hole cup cake tray?
My oven has a ...
7
votes
2answers
699 views
What will happen to my cake if I don't cream the butter enough?
I am preparing for a cake decorating party for some 8-year-olds and was testing a simple butter cake recipe.
I made a small-ish batch of batter (just over a stick of butter, just under 1/2 lb of ...
4
votes
3answers
292 views
Can I use the juice from pickles to make bread?
I finished a jar of pickles the other day and was trying to figure out what to do with the half a jar of pickle juice that was left behind so I didn't have to just pour it down the drain. I thought ...
3
votes
1answer
523 views
How does the baking time change if I scale up a cake recipe?
I have recipes for chocolate cake, Maderia cake, lemon drizzle and champagne cake.
I want to increase the ingredients to make a bigger cake. Do I still use the same baking time and temperature?
4
votes
3answers
262 views
How do I speed up the preparation time for chocolate chip cookies?
I've been charged with the task of making 100+ chocolate chip cookies every other day. As it stands, it takes me over 10 hours to do this. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to cut down ...
6
votes
2answers
522 views
How should I clean, or care for, a banneton (brotform, proofing basket)?
How should I care for a rattan (cane) banneton? It would seem that washing it in water would eventually warp or ruin the basket since the wood can easily absorb moisture. I've seen people suggest ...
0
votes
1answer
242 views
Which kinds of vessels insulate well?
From here: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/13170/6168
The first approach which comes to mind would be to use a pan which insulates well.
I use these glass vessels: ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I intensify the orange flavour in orange cake?
The ingredients I followed are:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white sugar
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ...
8
votes
1answer
1k views
How much difference does the placement of the shelf in the oven make to the final outcome of a cake?
Unknowingly, I used to keep the cake on the center shelf in the oven, then I realized that the shelf can also be placed at the bottom of the oven.
Does this make a huge difference in the final ...
5
votes
3answers
392 views
Why is salt sprinkled on top of soft pretzels?
For the sake of this question, I am referring to all lye bread. I want to make this clarification since outside of the US the term "pretzel" is usually referring to the shape one would typically ...
7
votes
1answer
154 views
Hamantaschen just wouldn't pinch and hold tight
I made a pretty simple and easy hamantaschen recipe last night, and it came out really well. The only substitution I made was to flex 3 eggs for 3 tablespoons milled, gelled flax seed in 9 ...
15
votes
3answers
1k views
How do I ensure that pita forms a nice big, even pocket when baking?
I have the opposite problem as Amir's question about thick, fluffy pitas. Whenever I make pita, it's nice and thick and fluffy, but the pocket is small or nonexistent. I would like to use my pita for ...
0
votes
2answers
172 views
My cake crumbled on the top and took very long time to cook
This time I didn't have much white sugar, so I added half cup brown and half cup white sugar to my carrot cake.
I observed that the cake crumbled on the top with large cracks, and took very long time ...
0
votes
1answer
2k views
Can I use “All-Purpose flour” instead of “cake flour”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the difference between various types of flour?
The recipe calls for cake flower, I have all-purpose flour. Can I use what I have? Or should I go get the cake ...
0
votes
1answer
806 views
Why didn't my lemon tart set?
I am using this Smitten Kitchen recipe for lemon tarts.
I made it a few times prior (all within the last few weeks) and it worked beautifully. I loved it because it had a great balance of lemon ...
4
votes
2answers
556 views
Cooking cakes on asbestos mats
My mother tells me when she was young her mother would bake cakes on an asbestos mat inside a lidded electric frypan. I'd assume the practice is gone now because of the reputation of asbestos, but ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
How should I wash the potatoes before baking them?
I bake Russet potatoes. I just washed them a little with cold water and then place them in a baking pan after I put foil on the bottom of the pan. I do not peel them. Is this a good method or should ...
0
votes
2answers
8k views
Why can soda be used as a substitute for eggs when using a boxed cake mix?
When making a cake from a box mix, I see that soda can be used instead of eggs and oil. What is the science behind this, and what are the properties of oil and eggs that the soda is replacing?
...
5
votes
2answers
239 views
What reading materials give in-depth coverage of baking with gluten-free ingredients and techniques?
There is plenty of reading material on what gluten is and what its function is in baking, so I feel like I have a decent understanding on that topic. However, I am not finding much on the reasoning ...
-1
votes
1answer
1k views
Can these settings bake a cake?
I've tried baking so many times with this kind of oven settings but they never work. The exterior of the cake looks fine, but when cut opened, they look as if they were never cooked.
The oven doesn't ...
1
vote
1answer
193 views
Why is the texture of my chocolate chip cookies foamy?
The last couple of batches of my chocolate chip cookies went from delicous to foamy tasting although I was using the same recipe and ingredients and sam measuring methods. I'm confused as to why the ...
1
vote
1answer
241 views
Baking course online
I want to learn baking. I have been reading recipes from the internet and trying them but, I want a more structured approach starting with the basics and going to the advanced. I don't feel the ad-hoc ...
1
vote
4answers
1k views
Can oil be replaced with yoghurt in a cake recipe?
A cake recipe is asking for "one cup" oil!!
I don't want to eat so much "oil", can I replace it with yoghurt or something else?
2
votes
2answers
658 views
What to add to the batter of the cake to avoid hardening when the gluten formation can't be avoided?
So, over mixing batter forms gluten, which in turn hardens the cake. Fine.
The problem is that I don't want lumps in the cakes, and the above statement prevents me from fine mixing the batter. So, is ...
1
vote
0answers
118 views
Is it a myth or a fact that mixing cake/muffin batter too finely can lead to a hard finally baked cake/muffin? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Over-stirring muffin mixtures
From here: http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/bakingdesserts/r/plainmuffins.htm
The key to making great muffins is not overmixing the ...
3
votes
4answers
3k views
Does tiramisu firm up in the fridge?
I am making my first tiramisu, using this recipe from Gourmet (with high ratings on Epicurious). My mascarpone mixture looks terribly soft to me.
As per recipe, I foamed 4 yolks with 80 ml sherry (I ...
8
votes
2answers
407 views
How do you get 'ears' when baking bread?
When slashing bread, how can I produce crusty 'ears' on the places where the slash opens up? Most of the time they open up, but just end up flush with the rest of the crust.
15
votes
1answer
911 views
How much salt can I safely add to bread dough?
I recently made ciabatta, which turned out very well, with a good crust and nice open crumb. However, I felt it could use more salt to give extra flavour. I'm aware that salt and yeast do not make ...
2
votes
1answer
138 views
Are American food colourings weaker than in other countries?
I was looking at baking a yet-to-be-determined-colour velvet cake, and happened upon a recipe for blue velvet cake: http://bakebakebake.livejournal.com/3342197.html
This calls for two tablespoons of ...
5
votes
4answers
2k views
How to decide the baking temperature when recipe doesn't mention it?
On what factors does the temperature setting depend?
Of course if I have to bake a stone, I would need to set the temperature at 900C perhaps :rolleyes: ;), but in normal cakes where you have a ...
