THE SCIENCE OF BAKING (CAKE)- Part 2

FLOUR (contd):
Kelly Stewart a Portland based food writer said in her kitchen chemistry article of 2009, that "the protein in flour, lends structure to baked goods". She went on to ask a baking instructor Peter Reinhart on the basics behind dough construction and he told her that two proteins are present in flour called - glutenin and gliadin. When the water  is added to the flour, the proteins are drawn to each other thereby forming gluten.
The flour used in cakes creates a less rigid gluten network and a finer crumb hence the reason for cakes being lighter than bread.

In choosing the right flour to use, Kelly contacted a former Vanderbilt University biochemist, Shirley Corriher, an expert in the science of baking. She shared some tricks as to how to determine the right flour.
"Measure 2 cups into a bowl and stir it with a scant cup of water. If you have a high protein flour, its going to suck in water like crazy and form a dough" she said. But a lesser protein- rich flour won't come together unless more flour is added to it. Unfortunately, Corriher says, " there is no easy way to determine the protein content of flour". Just check the manufacturers label to determine which type of flour to use. Although one cannot totally know the concept to determining the right flour, one can determine how the ingredients work with regular practice.

BUTTER/FATS:
This is the second most fundamental ingredient in a cake. The butter coats the protein in the flour to inhibit level of gluten in the cake.
Oils  such as vegetable oil or sunflower oil can be used in cake baking as oils coats the protein in flour better than butter. Thus the difference between a butter based cake and an oil based cake is that the oil based cake is moister and examples include fudge cake, mud cake etc.
The butter/fat is beaten with the sugar until it becomes light, fluffy and pale in colour (almost white).
During this process, air is incorporated into the batter and the volume increases. The air is important as it forms tiny spaces or pockets into which gases, water vapour from the  moisture and CO (carbondioxide) from the baking powder migrates and expands during heating.
There are two types of butter - Salted and Unsalted butter.
Salted butter contain salt which helps to preserve shelf life while Unsalted butter contains no salt. Both have a smooth creamy feel to the mouth. The difference in both use for baking is that unsalted butter helps the baker to control the salt content of the recipe and its the most used. Salted butter is mostly used for spreading.

SUGAR/MILK
Sugar goes side by side with the butter as the second most fundamental ingredient in cake making.
there are different types of sugar such as granulated sugar, brown sugar etc and their use vary according to the recipe. Brown sugar adds a deeper flavour to the cake.

Some people like to add milk to the cakes. I for example, use milk on occasions when I want a really moist cake. Milk contains lactose which is a form of sugar and this hinders gluten formation.
Both sugar and milk encourages caramelization (i.e browning of the cake).








EGGS
Eggs are the third most fundamental ingredient in most cakes. First rule to a wonderful cake is to make sure your ingredients are at room temperature especially the eggs as this can determine how the cake comes out.
The Egg helps bind things together. The Egg-yolks lends richness and moisture to the cake while the egg whites can serve as a leavening agent.
Here are four qualities to consider when using them for cake baking.

1. The eggs must be round, have a golden yellow egg-yolk and clear egg white
2. Must be at room temperature
3. Free-range ( i.e direct from the poultry where the birds are allowed outdoors)
4. Shell must be spotless, thick and free of cracks

In order to prevent food-borne diseases such as salmonella, eggs should be refrigerated and allowed to return back to room temperature when needed for baking.


TO BE CONTINUED... watch out for the concluding article on this! Thanks for following.