Anyway, before we start writing about what turns into what, let’s answer this week’s questions about certain behaviors of mixtures…
Adoree: My partner and I are truly grateful to all our readers as our column, Baking 101, turns one year old. We hope to continue helping you by answering whatever queries you have about baking.
Q: I really love making crepes for my family; however, there are times that I get different results. Sometimes, I have holes in my crepes, and most of the time, there are small pockets of flour. What could I be doing wrong? (Cristina of Makati City)
Jun Jun: Crepes are one of the easiest batters to make, but to achieve a good one, you have to follow certain guidelines. First, make sure that all your ingredients are of the same temperature, especially the milk and eggs which we often keep refrigerated. You have to add whatever fat you are using after all the ingredients have been mixed. This will ensure that no lumps will form; if they do, just strain the mixture. Also, you have to "rest" the batter for at least 30 minutes before actual cooking. If you cook the batter right away, it will come out very hard. A common problem when making crepes is the inability to swirl the batter very fast because of its thickness. One solution to this is to add water—about ½ to ¼ cup—until you get a more liquid type of batter. This will actually make your crepes thinner and more delicate…just right for eating.
Adoree: Crepe batters, though easy to make (they usually just combine the wet and dry ingredients) need to be "rested" in the chiller for at least 30 minutes. This is done to minimize, if not to remove, those air bubbles formed while mixing the batter which result in the holes you mentioned above. This procedure also "relaxes" the gluten developed during the mixing of the liquid and dry ingredients, giving you a soft but chewy crepe.
Q: My daughter asked me why my chocolate cake had different brown tones after it was baked. Is there something wrong with my mixing methods or any of my ingredients? (Gabbi of Pasig)
Jun Jun: Baka naman you were making a chocolate marble cake? Hehe, joke lang. I guess I have to presume that you used a standing mixer with a paddle attachment. In this case, there are times that whatever is at the bottom of your bowl is not mixed as well as the other areas. You have to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl more frequently than usual. You have to make sure that the creamed butter and sugar have been well-incorporated with the dry and liquid ingredients. What I usually do is, after all the ingredients have been mixed, to give it another stir manually with a sturdy rubber spatula. Also, as you pour the batter into its baking container, do small rotations so that the batter will get a final blending and achieve only one color. Don’t worry about the color of your cake; you can always cover it with icing. Make sure that you are not over-mixing since this will result in a cake with a texture that makes it a good replacement for the soles of your shoes. Hehe…
Adoree: Gabbi, you just didn’t mix your dry ingredients (which includes the cocoa powder) well with the other ingredients. Dry ingredients tend to stay at the bottom of their containers, so next time, make sure your batter is homogenous before you put it in the oven.
Q: There are times when, after adding the eggs into a butter and sugar mixture, the batter seems to separate. It also takes a longer time for the eggs to be mixed into the batter and, at times, they seem to separate. Do I continue or just throw away the batter and repeat the procedure? (Prince of Binondo)
Jun Jun: This is a classic problem. Naku…you have to make sure that you creamed your butter well: around 2 -3 minutes if you are making cookies, and 5 -7 minutes if you are making a cake. This will ensure that part of the sugar has melted into the butter. Eggs must be added one at a time and not all at once as this causes curdling. Wait for the egg to mix in before adding the next one, and do this until you finish all the eggs. Sometimes, curdling also happens due to the temperature of your eggs; they are cold when they come from the refrigerator. Make sure to let your eggs sit for 30 to 40 minutes before use so that they will not be so cold. When curdling happens, just continue what you were doing. Add the dry ingredients and finish the cake; sayang naman, since it’s still edible. Just be careful not to make the same mistake next time.
Adoree: Eggs have to be added one at a time; beat the mixture well after each addition. Don’t worry about over-mixing the mixture at this point. Just be careful when you start adding the dry ingredients. Usually, the recipe will tell you to alternately add the dry and liquid ingredients after you’ve added all the eggs. You will notice that the mixture separates after liquid is added, so always start and end with the addition of dry ingredients as these will bind the mixture together and prevent it from separating. When you start adding in the dry ingredients, make sure to mix the mixture until there’s no more trace of flour. Do not over-mix it.
Please keep your inquiries coming! We love answering them, and, as we said earlier, we ourselves learn so much from this exercise.
