There are several types of flour at the local grocery store. They are not all the same, and using the wrong flour in your baking recipe can result in a baking disaster. Here is a brief analysis of the types of flour you might use to bake with.
Bread flour - Bread flour is made from wheat flour and is responsible for raising your bread and giving it texture. There is one main use for bread flour, and that is to make bread.
Cake flour - This form of flour is very fine and is high in starch, allowing it to help set baked goods and help raise them slightly. This flour is most commonly used in the preparation of cakes.
Buckwheat flou r- Buckwheat flour is from buckwheat plants and is primarily used in baking because it is gluten free. There are no set usages for this form of flour. Rather it serves as a replacement for other flours for bakers who are gluten intolerant.
Self-rising flour - Flour that is self-rising is different from all other flours in that it contains a certain amount of salt already, and does not have much protein. It is not to be used with any yeast products, and is most commonly seen in the baking of biscuits.
Pastry flour - Pastry flour is most closely related to all-purpose flour, and can yield flakiness to any products that it is baked with. Of the most common are pie crusts, biscuits, and of course pastries.
All-purpose flour - Most bakers are under the impression that all-purpose flour is suitable for all baked goods, and while there is some truth to this, all-purpose flour does have specific uses. It is produced in bleached and unbleached forms and is made of wheat. It can be used in cookies, pancakes, yeast, and more.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the types of flour and their uses, how do you decide which flour is the right flour for your baking needs? Simply reading a little more into your recipe, or using the flour recommendations can offer you some insight as to which is appropriate for your baked good.
Next time you are attempting to bake something from a recipe, double check that there are no requirements or suggestions as to what form of flour should be used. If there are recommendations it is best to follow them to ensure the final success of your product. If there are no suggestions or requirements as to which flour is appropriate, you should then use your basic understanding of flour and which ones work best with your baking need at the time. For example, if you are making bread and are unsure of what type of flour to use you can choose between a bread flour, a buckwheat flour (if that is your preference), or all-purpose flour.
Finally, if you are unsure as to what flour works best for what baked item, and there are no recipe suggestions, your safest bet is to use all-purpose flour. It is the only flour that will not have drastic implications in the event that you are using the wrong flour for your dessert or bread.
Criss White is a professional article writer for My Baby Shower Favors and an avid baker who enjoys baking cakes and cookies. To check out some holiday cookies or some birthday cookies, visit My Baby Shower Favors.
Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tips for Using Candy in Your Baked Goods
It is tiresome to have to always rely on expensive caterers for a party as they always serve the same things. It is also a challenge to have to think up unusual foods for the party to make it more memorable for everyone who attends it. A good idea is to have an edible baby shower candy cake or birthday cookies with candy imbeds that can be either ordered from a baker or made at home.
One way that bakeshops sell their goods is through their sample baskets and displays on the counters and windows. If one were just starting out on a business involving these then giving samples to friends or making the souvenirs for the baby showers is a good way to sell the talent.
People don’t often use candy in their baking because they aren’t common cooking ingredients, but they are a unique way to make some delicious sweet treats for family and friends. Because candies are heated before they could be made to completion, they are usually safe inside the oven as well.
Candies can be used as effective cake decorations and embellishments. If you have a plain white cake with frosting, you can easily decorate it with candy. Grab hold of some gummy candies like gummy bears, insects, ribbons or other shapes and use these to decorate the perimeter and the center of the cake.
Choose colors that are complimentary to the color theme chosen for the occasion and choose the forms of the gummies that match the theme you have chosen for the cake. Gummy ribbons and licorice sticks come in several flavors and colors and these can be plain fruity flavors or sour ones.
To make a basket, arrange the ribbons alternately to get a basket weave effect. Surround the sides of the cake with these ribbons, do not be scared they will fall apart for the icing can hold on to them like glue and if there is doubt just pin a lollipop or a thin toothpick to keep the ribbon in place. To make handles, simply thread a ribbon with floral wire and shape.
Once the basket is done, get all sorts of candies, wrapped individually or not, and just place them inside the space of the basket. Any candy will do, even lollipops. There are also gum paste flowers that can be used if you want to achieve that exotic look, or just look for floral shaped candies to stick inside. Add green gummy ribbons and cut to shape leaves and stick in the spaces as accents.
This floral basket is a great cake that is easy to make and delicious to look at. If that is not the look that you want to achieve, just decorate a plain iced cake with any candy that you desire and you will still have a great delicious looking cake.
You can also use chocolate to give your baked goods extra flavor. Cut up some baby shower chocolate cigars or some peanut butter cups and you can use these to sprinkle around the perimeter of a chocolate or cream based cake. These can also be used in place of chocolate chips in cookies, particularly as the chocolate from chocolate cigars are usually of higher quality. Other fun baked treats to experiment with using candy are muffins, pastries, and even pies.
One way that bakeshops sell their goods is through their sample baskets and displays on the counters and windows. If one were just starting out on a business involving these then giving samples to friends or making the souvenirs for the baby showers is a good way to sell the talent.
People don’t often use candy in their baking because they aren’t common cooking ingredients, but they are a unique way to make some delicious sweet treats for family and friends. Because candies are heated before they could be made to completion, they are usually safe inside the oven as well.
Candies can be used as effective cake decorations and embellishments. If you have a plain white cake with frosting, you can easily decorate it with candy. Grab hold of some gummy candies like gummy bears, insects, ribbons or other shapes and use these to decorate the perimeter and the center of the cake.
Choose colors that are complimentary to the color theme chosen for the occasion and choose the forms of the gummies that match the theme you have chosen for the cake. Gummy ribbons and licorice sticks come in several flavors and colors and these can be plain fruity flavors or sour ones.
To make a basket, arrange the ribbons alternately to get a basket weave effect. Surround the sides of the cake with these ribbons, do not be scared they will fall apart for the icing can hold on to them like glue and if there is doubt just pin a lollipop or a thin toothpick to keep the ribbon in place. To make handles, simply thread a ribbon with floral wire and shape.
Once the basket is done, get all sorts of candies, wrapped individually or not, and just place them inside the space of the basket. Any candy will do, even lollipops. There are also gum paste flowers that can be used if you want to achieve that exotic look, or just look for floral shaped candies to stick inside. Add green gummy ribbons and cut to shape leaves and stick in the spaces as accents.
This floral basket is a great cake that is easy to make and delicious to look at. If that is not the look that you want to achieve, just decorate a plain iced cake with any candy that you desire and you will still have a great delicious looking cake.
You can also use chocolate to give your baked goods extra flavor. Cut up some baby shower chocolate cigars or some peanut butter cups and you can use these to sprinkle around the perimeter of a chocolate or cream based cake. These can also be used in place of chocolate chips in cookies, particularly as the chocolate from chocolate cigars are usually of higher quality. Other fun baked treats to experiment with using candy are muffins, pastries, and even pies.
Baking Tips: Turning the Crunchy Cookie into a Chewy Cookie
Cookies are always a tasty treat that everyone loves, both kids and adults. There are so many recipes for cookies to choose from and people are always coming up with new ideas all the time.
Cookies are also a great gift idea. People often bake their own wedding cookies or baby shower cookies. But the question of what kind of cookie to make can be dictated by the following three considerations: the occasion or party theme, the choice of flavors for the cookies and the desired texture of whether they are crunchy or chewy or something in between?
A baker will usually know all kinds of recipes and can bake specialized cookies for any event. They should be able to make the cookies either crunchy or chewy. Most people who bake at home don’t know how to do control the texture and softness of the cookie, but it is not difficult to do. Here is a simple cookie baking tip that you can use to control a cookie’s texture:
Cookies are usually made from butter, shortening, eggs and sugar and then there are the added ingredients. Look at the recipe first and take note of the sugars used in it. There should be two ingredients that are commonly found: white and brown sugar. The secret of the texture is in the sugar and simply changing the ratio between white and brown will easily make a crunchy cookie into a chewy cookie.
To achieve a crunchy cookie, white sugar should have the heavier concentration than brown sugar. If the recipe calls for brown sugar, eliminate it completely and substitute with white sugar. For example: an oatmeal cookie recipe might ask 2 cups of white sugar and 2 cups brown sugar. To achieve a crunchy cookie, do away with the brown sugar and simply use 4 cups of white sugar. This is going to be a really crunchy cookie.
Semi-chewy/crunchy cookies will need another sugar measurement ratio. Again, going back to 2 and 2 between white and sugar, to make it a little more chewy use three cups brown sugar and one cup white sugar, but if you want it more crunchy than chewy then reverse the ratio to three cups white and one cup brown sugar.
The chewy cookies are going to be achieved by doing away with the white sugars altogether. So if the recipe calls for the half and half do away with the white and use the same measurement but this time using brown again. So use 4 cups of brown sugar and the gooey chewy cookie will be achieved easily.
Now, an added secret: to add more of the gooeyness to the cookies by adding honey, molasses or maple syrup. Use the same amount of brown sugar minus 1/4 cup. Use that amount for the substitute. That should make the cookie gooier than ever before.
Cookies are also a great gift idea. People often bake their own wedding cookies or baby shower cookies. But the question of what kind of cookie to make can be dictated by the following three considerations: the occasion or party theme, the choice of flavors for the cookies and the desired texture of whether they are crunchy or chewy or something in between?
A baker will usually know all kinds of recipes and can bake specialized cookies for any event. They should be able to make the cookies either crunchy or chewy. Most people who bake at home don’t know how to do control the texture and softness of the cookie, but it is not difficult to do. Here is a simple cookie baking tip that you can use to control a cookie’s texture:
Cookies are usually made from butter, shortening, eggs and sugar and then there are the added ingredients. Look at the recipe first and take note of the sugars used in it. There should be two ingredients that are commonly found: white and brown sugar. The secret of the texture is in the sugar and simply changing the ratio between white and brown will easily make a crunchy cookie into a chewy cookie.
To achieve a crunchy cookie, white sugar should have the heavier concentration than brown sugar. If the recipe calls for brown sugar, eliminate it completely and substitute with white sugar. For example: an oatmeal cookie recipe might ask 2 cups of white sugar and 2 cups brown sugar. To achieve a crunchy cookie, do away with the brown sugar and simply use 4 cups of white sugar. This is going to be a really crunchy cookie.
Semi-chewy/crunchy cookies will need another sugar measurement ratio. Again, going back to 2 and 2 between white and sugar, to make it a little more chewy use three cups brown sugar and one cup white sugar, but if you want it more crunchy than chewy then reverse the ratio to three cups white and one cup brown sugar.
The chewy cookies are going to be achieved by doing away with the white sugars altogether. So if the recipe calls for the half and half do away with the white and use the same measurement but this time using brown again. So use 4 cups of brown sugar and the gooey chewy cookie will be achieved easily.
Now, an added secret: to add more of the gooeyness to the cookies by adding honey, molasses or maple syrup. Use the same amount of brown sugar minus 1/4 cup. Use that amount for the substitute. That should make the cookie gooier than ever before.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Fun Cookie Ideas for Any Occasion
Making cookies can be as fun as eating the cookies itself. You can add different ingredients, cut them out in different shapes and it takes just a few minutes to prepare them, bake them, and definitely less time to eat them. For some, making cookies is a delicious hobby, while for some this is an incoming generating business. Whether you will be feeding a brood of five or a community of a hundred, there are many ways on how you can make your cookies more delectable, more exciting, and tastier.
If you have your basic cookie recipe, try adding walnuts or almonds to make your cookie nutty. That bite that you get form the cookie will definitely leave you wanting for more as the saltiness of the nuts complements the sweet taste of the cookie mixture.
If you’ve had your fill of nutty cookies, try having fruity or chewy cookies next time. You can add raisins or dried cherries or grapes to your mixture. Have these small fruity treats give an exciting new twist to a plain cookie. For a healthier alternative, oatmeal cookies are not just tasty but they have a different texture altogether. It has a clean taste as well and is truly delectable if the cookie is buttery.
Give your cookies a new look. While most would expect round brown cookies in transparent plastic containers, give your cookie treats a makeover. Use a special cookie cutter such as wedding cookie cutters or a Christmas cookie cutter to give a whole new look to the plain round cookie. Cookie cutters are available in various shapes that can please the young and the young at heart. Cookies that are shaped as hearts, stars, or elf hat or elf boots will be more fun looking and therefore more appetizing than your average round shaped cookies. You can also place your cookies in tin cans that you can design with ribbons, lace or sticker labels. Cookie cutters can be used to create wedding cookies, baby shower cookies, or cookie treats for just about any event or occasion.
Making these baked goods can be fun with the kids too. They can help in mixing the ingredients, in cutting the cookies into different shapes, in designing or putting toppings on the cookies, or in placing them in their containers. Because baking cookies is a lot simpler than any other cooking or baking method, cookies can be a real treat from baking them to eating them.
If you have your basic cookie recipe, try adding walnuts or almonds to make your cookie nutty. That bite that you get form the cookie will definitely leave you wanting for more as the saltiness of the nuts complements the sweet taste of the cookie mixture.
If you’ve had your fill of nutty cookies, try having fruity or chewy cookies next time. You can add raisins or dried cherries or grapes to your mixture. Have these small fruity treats give an exciting new twist to a plain cookie. For a healthier alternative, oatmeal cookies are not just tasty but they have a different texture altogether. It has a clean taste as well and is truly delectable if the cookie is buttery.
Give your cookies a new look. While most would expect round brown cookies in transparent plastic containers, give your cookie treats a makeover. Use a special cookie cutter such as wedding cookie cutters or a Christmas cookie cutter to give a whole new look to the plain round cookie. Cookie cutters are available in various shapes that can please the young and the young at heart. Cookies that are shaped as hearts, stars, or elf hat or elf boots will be more fun looking and therefore more appetizing than your average round shaped cookies. You can also place your cookies in tin cans that you can design with ribbons, lace or sticker labels. Cookie cutters can be used to create wedding cookies, baby shower cookies, or cookie treats for just about any event or occasion.
Making these baked goods can be fun with the kids too. They can help in mixing the ingredients, in cutting the cookies into different shapes, in designing or putting toppings on the cookies, or in placing them in their containers. Because baking cookies is a lot simpler than any other cooking or baking method, cookies can be a real treat from baking them to eating them.
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