Sugar High. Nicole Hampton
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Название: Sugar High
Автор: Nicole Hampton
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Кулинария
isbn: 9781513261263
isbn:
To unmold cake layers from pans, I always let the cake cool at least slightly in the pan. I run a clean butter knife around all the edges, and the cake should then tip right out. If you have issues with the cake sticking on the bottom, gently pry the cake around the edges with the knife to loosen.
Cookies:As I mentioned before, cookies are generally the least affected item when it comes to high-altitude adaptations. However, there are still some modifications to remember if you’re working with a cookie that isn’t turning out quite right: • It can be tough to find the right baking time for cookies. Most recipes give a range for baking times, mainly because you have to keep an eye on the cookies in those last few minutes to avoid under or overbaking. I suggest doing a test batch with only one or two cookies, which will help you figure out the right baking time in the oven.
• Many people worry about overmixing, and of course it’s important to avoid. But at your last stage of mixing, whenever the last set of ingredients go in, make sure you geteverything completely and properly incorporated, even if it seems like you are mixing for a long time. Otherwise, you’ll end up with an uneven batch of cookies that don’t turn out uniformly.
• I do still occasionally reduce the leavening agent in cookies to avoid a too-puffy cookie. Use the same tips as for cake here.
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HIGH-ALTITUDE BAKING TIPS
Bars: Bars can be a bit complex, even without the challenges of baking themat altitude. But adjusting for the right results is important.
• Getting the right balance between too wet and too dry for any bar recipe is important. If you try a recipe, and it’s too wet or won’t set in the oven, consider adding
1⁄4 cup flour and reducing the baking temperature. Remember to also increase the overall baking time.
• On the other hand, if a recipe is ending up dry and brittle, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter or oil, or another egg, to the recipe.
• Once again, you’ll need to pay close attention to the baking time in order to achieve a fully cooked center and to avoid overcooked edges.
GETTING IT RIGHT
I’d like to end this section with a few words of encouragement. Living near the mountains is fun for a million reasons, but baking just isn’t always one of them. What got me to a confident place in the kitchen, while living way up here at over five thousand feet above sea level, was finding a few basic recipes that worked, and sticking with them. (And, also, a few drinks here and there in the kitchen. It’s cool—sometimes I bake with alcohol, sometimes I just bake near it.) Seriously though, I hope this book gives you not just a few great basic recipes, but also a kitchen that smells of cinnamon, and brown sugar, and bread, and chocolate, pretty much all the time.
Happy baking—you got this!
Let’s talk about some more of the nitty-gritty: which tools are essential, and which are just helpful to have around.
First, what you need: • Bakeware of many kinds. You’ll want baking sheets, muffin pans, and cake pans, in a variety of shapes—round, square, rectangle, and loaf. It’s also a good idea to have a springform pan and at least one Bundt pan.
• Box grater or shredder with both wide and thin shredding widths. Alternatively, you can use a wide shredder and a zester.
• Cake testers to test the doneness of cakes. You can buy an actual cake tester tool, or just use a toothpick or thin skewer. I find that any of these options provides what you need!
• Double boiler for slowly cooking egg whites and sugar for buttercreams, and gently heating chocolate. You could also use a heatproof bowl set over a pot of hot water; just make sure the bowl isn’t touching the water in the pot.
• Electric hand mixer, even if it’s just a super cheap one you found at a garage sale. Honestly, it’s so hard to achieve the right textures without it, plus who wants to spend thirty minutes whipping cream by hand?
• Instant-read thermometer to measure the temperature of water and milk before adding yeast, and to make sure everything is just right. Working with yeast can be tricky, and thermometers take the guesswork out.
• Measuring spoons and cups to make sure everything is properly measured, of course! Dry measuring cups for dry ingredients and liquid measuring cups—the glass ones with a spout—for liquids. Trust me, guys—it makes a difference!
• Mixing bowls in several sizes, at least some of them microwave- and heat-safe. You’ll use
these to mix batters and doughs.
• Offset spatula to spread and frost. Simply put, this is the kitchen tool that you never knew you needed. I use the small 5- or 6-inch ones the most, even on big cakes.
• Parchment paper or nonstick baking mats to keep things from sticking, and to limit the number of times you have to wash those big pans.
• Pastry blender for when you don’t have a food processor, or maybe just don’t feel like pulling it out or cleaning it. You’ll use this tool to make pie crusts and biscuits and scones—any recipe that involves cutting butter or shortening into flour.
• Pastry brush for applying flavorings to cake layers beforefilling and frosting.
• Rolling pin to roll out all those pretty pie crusts or cookie doughs just right. I have a whole collection, but my favorite is just a plain old, simple wood one. Go with whatever kind you are comfortable with!
• Rubber spatulas to scrape out all the good stuff from the mixing bowls when you’re ready to bake.
• Whisks to stir ingredients, both dry and wet alike, and to marry them together in the end.
Now, what’s nice to have:• Biscuit cutters or just a mason jar lid—that’ll work too. Or a knife and a steady hand. Or an old cookie cutter. I’m flexible.
• Food processor to help you easily make that pie crust and crush graham crackers for crusts and toppings.
• Piping bags and tips to make cupcakes pretty, and to make frosting cakes much more easy. Spatulas will work too, though!
• Stand mixer to help you multitask in the kitchen, and to do all the hard work for you along the way.
TOOLS
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TOOLS
It’s not always easy to get great ingredients—maybe yourgrocery store just isn’t equipped for it, or it’s more money than you’d like to spend. Whatever the reason, I understand. And СКАЧАТЬ