Post by Glen Carman aka Delmonico on Apr 9, 2019 18:12:37 GMT -6
Batters and Doughs
Sometimes you see the terms pourable batter, drop batter, soft dough and stiff dough. Those just describe the ratio of liquid to flour or meal. For those who need more instructions than that I'll do a chart.
Pourable batter is like pancakes, most cakes and most cornbread and is a ratio of 1 part flour/meal to 1 part liquid.
A drop batter is what drop biscuits and some cakes use, it's thicker than a pourable batter but still easy to fill a spoon and be pushed off and has a ratio of 2-2 ½ parts flour/meal to 1 part liquid.
A soft batter is like biscuits and is 3-3 ½ parts flour/meal to 1 part liquid.
A stiff dough is like most yeast breads and is a ratio of 4 parts flour/meal on to 1 part liquid.
These figures are a guide only, they can be affected by humidity in the air and the dryness of the four/meal, but is a good place to start, feel and look being the best guide.
Staying with the flour and our dough/batter theme, unless we are making unleavened bread will will need to use something to produce the CO2 that raises our batter/dough. The amount of leavening agent can vary from recipe to recipe but will pretty much stay in these guidelines.
Starting with yeast, it comes in those little packages, bulk in a jar or sack and there is the hard to find and very perishable cake yeast.
A package of dry yeast weighs 0.25 oz, the cake yeast weighs 0.6 oz but they both have the same leavening power, and 2 ¼ teaspoons of the bulk yeast also do which would also weigh 0.25 oz.
This amount of yeast is on the average, used to raise 3-5 cups of flour, however if you have extra time it can be used for up to 8 cups.
When using baking powder the guidelines are ¾-1 ¼ teaspoons per cup of flour, when using self-rising flour the baking powder and salt are in the flour already. If the recipe calls for self-rising flour and all you have is all-purpose then add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt per cup.
If the baking powder is listed as single-acting then let the product rise about 5 minutes before baking, double-acting baking powder has to components to produce CO2 through chemical reaction and the second component is activated by the heat of baking.
When using baking soda aka Sodium bicarbonate along with an acid liquid as the leavening, you base the amount of baking soda used on the amount of liquid used. The guide is ¼-½ teaspoons of baking soda per cup of acid liquid. Using ¼ teaspoons will leave some of the tart flavor on the product, ½ teaspoons will give a better rise.
These liquids can include molasses, sour milk, cultured butter milk or sourdough starter when used as a quick bread.
When using sourdough starter for yeast type breads, the rule of thumb is replace 1 package of yeast with one cup of sourdough starter.
Old recipes often gave weight not volume, here is a guide to flour and meal.
These weights per cup are based on scooped, un-sifted flour, when it is spooned into the cup or measured after sifting the weight will be slightly higher.
All Purpose Flour-----------------------1 cup = 4 ¼ oz
Self Rising Flour------------------------1 cup = 4 oz
Cake Flour--------------------------------1 cup = 4 oz
Whole Wheat Flour--------------------1 cup= 4 oz in
Semolina Flour--------------------------1 cup = 5 ¾ oz
Rye Flour ---------------------------------1 cup = 3 ¾ oz
Corn meal---------------------------------1 cup = 4 oz
Buck Wheat Flour-----------------------1 cup = 4 ¼ oz
Sweeteners
Brown sugar should be lightly packed and confectioner’s sugar measured before sifting
White granulated sugar--------------- 1 cup = 7 oz
Confectioner’s sugar--------------------1 cup = 8 oz
Brown sugar-------------------------------1 cup ==7 ½ oz
Honey, molasses, corn syrup----------1 cup = 12 oz
When using honey or molasses for sweetener, honey is more sweet than sugar and molasses is less. Use about ¾ cup of honey per cup of sugar, 1 ¼ cup of molasses per cup of sugar. Reduce the liquid by ¼ cup per cup used.
However sweetness and water content will vary with the source.
Other Baking Supplies
Cocoa----------------------------------------1 teaspoon = 3 ½ oz
Cornstarch ---------------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/3 oz
Baking soda---------------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/8 oz
Baking powder------------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/8 oz
Cream of Tarter-----------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/8 oz
Table salt--------------------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/8 oz
Yeast Dry Bulk--------------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/8 oz
Butter ------------------------------------------1 cup = 8 oz
Lard ---------------------------------------------1 cup = 7 oz
Olive oil (or other vegetable oil) ---------1 cup = 7 ½ oz
Eggs
Modern recipes are based on large eggs, older ones are often based on our modern medium eggs do our improved chicken breeds.
5 unshelled large eggs = 1 cup shelled, 5 medium will in most cases be only slightly less
9 large or 10 medium will = 1 pound shelled or 2 cups.
Sometimes you see the terms pourable batter, drop batter, soft dough and stiff dough. Those just describe the ratio of liquid to flour or meal. For those who need more instructions than that I'll do a chart.
Pourable batter is like pancakes, most cakes and most cornbread and is a ratio of 1 part flour/meal to 1 part liquid.
A drop batter is what drop biscuits and some cakes use, it's thicker than a pourable batter but still easy to fill a spoon and be pushed off and has a ratio of 2-2 ½ parts flour/meal to 1 part liquid.
A soft batter is like biscuits and is 3-3 ½ parts flour/meal to 1 part liquid.
A stiff dough is like most yeast breads and is a ratio of 4 parts flour/meal on to 1 part liquid.
These figures are a guide only, they can be affected by humidity in the air and the dryness of the four/meal, but is a good place to start, feel and look being the best guide.
Staying with the flour and our dough/batter theme, unless we are making unleavened bread will will need to use something to produce the CO2 that raises our batter/dough. The amount of leavening agent can vary from recipe to recipe but will pretty much stay in these guidelines.
Starting with yeast, it comes in those little packages, bulk in a jar or sack and there is the hard to find and very perishable cake yeast.
A package of dry yeast weighs 0.25 oz, the cake yeast weighs 0.6 oz but they both have the same leavening power, and 2 ¼ teaspoons of the bulk yeast also do which would also weigh 0.25 oz.
This amount of yeast is on the average, used to raise 3-5 cups of flour, however if you have extra time it can be used for up to 8 cups.
When using baking powder the guidelines are ¾-1 ¼ teaspoons per cup of flour, when using self-rising flour the baking powder and salt are in the flour already. If the recipe calls for self-rising flour and all you have is all-purpose then add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt per cup.
If the baking powder is listed as single-acting then let the product rise about 5 minutes before baking, double-acting baking powder has to components to produce CO2 through chemical reaction and the second component is activated by the heat of baking.
When using baking soda aka Sodium bicarbonate along with an acid liquid as the leavening, you base the amount of baking soda used on the amount of liquid used. The guide is ¼-½ teaspoons of baking soda per cup of acid liquid. Using ¼ teaspoons will leave some of the tart flavor on the product, ½ teaspoons will give a better rise.
These liquids can include molasses, sour milk, cultured butter milk or sourdough starter when used as a quick bread.
When using sourdough starter for yeast type breads, the rule of thumb is replace 1 package of yeast with one cup of sourdough starter.
Old recipes often gave weight not volume, here is a guide to flour and meal.
These weights per cup are based on scooped, un-sifted flour, when it is spooned into the cup or measured after sifting the weight will be slightly higher.
All Purpose Flour-----------------------1 cup = 4 ¼ oz
Self Rising Flour------------------------1 cup = 4 oz
Cake Flour--------------------------------1 cup = 4 oz
Whole Wheat Flour--------------------1 cup= 4 oz in
Semolina Flour--------------------------1 cup = 5 ¾ oz
Rye Flour ---------------------------------1 cup = 3 ¾ oz
Corn meal---------------------------------1 cup = 4 oz
Buck Wheat Flour-----------------------1 cup = 4 ¼ oz
Sweeteners
Brown sugar should be lightly packed and confectioner’s sugar measured before sifting
White granulated sugar--------------- 1 cup = 7 oz
Confectioner’s sugar--------------------1 cup = 8 oz
Brown sugar-------------------------------1 cup ==7 ½ oz
Honey, molasses, corn syrup----------1 cup = 12 oz
When using honey or molasses for sweetener, honey is more sweet than sugar and molasses is less. Use about ¾ cup of honey per cup of sugar, 1 ¼ cup of molasses per cup of sugar. Reduce the liquid by ¼ cup per cup used.
However sweetness and water content will vary with the source.
Other Baking Supplies
Cocoa----------------------------------------1 teaspoon = 3 ½ oz
Cornstarch ---------------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/3 oz
Baking soda---------------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/8 oz
Baking powder------------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/8 oz
Cream of Tarter-----------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/8 oz
Table salt--------------------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/8 oz
Yeast Dry Bulk--------------------------------1 teaspoon = 1/8 oz
Butter ------------------------------------------1 cup = 8 oz
Lard ---------------------------------------------1 cup = 7 oz
Olive oil (or other vegetable oil) ---------1 cup = 7 ½ oz
Eggs
Modern recipes are based on large eggs, older ones are often based on our modern medium eggs do our improved chicken breeds.
5 unshelled large eggs = 1 cup shelled, 5 medium will in most cases be only slightly less
9 large or 10 medium will = 1 pound shelled or 2 cups.