Bananas are a comfort food for almost everyone. Creamy, tasty, and sweet, they are easy to eat. Everyone knows they are good for you (and unlike most other “good for you” foods this does not seem to bother anyone). Everyone also knows that bananas are a very good source of potassium. Most people, however, don't realize that there are a number of other healthy reasons to eat bananas.
Category Archives: baking
Evolution Of A Recipe
I previously talked about this pear torte as part of a post about modifying recipes. As I mentioned in the post, the torte came out a little denser and heavier than I would have liked.
As part of explaining how I modify recipes until I come up with what I want for the final version I thought I would give you the next step in the creation of this torte. I will start by pointing out, as you will see below, that it is not always a straightforward process. Inspiration takes over, mistakes cause you to go in a different direction, taste testers make suggestions that help you refine what you are doing. It's more than just a matter of measuring out ingredients.
First a huge thank you goes to my friend Teresa who gave me another bag of these most delicious pears. They may not look like much but they are fabulous in both flavor and texture. Unfortunately I am using a picture of the pears again because I forgot to take a picture of the torte before it was devoured by the folks at home and other taste testers.
I had originally thought to change the recipe by adding some applesauce to moisten it, or soaking the flour, or adding some fat; instead I made the following changes:
Whole Wheat Ginger Pear Torte
2 eggs
1/2 C. milk (the original recipe was 1/4 C.)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 C. crystalized ginger chopped (this was a new addition)
1 C. evaporated cane juice crystals
1 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. all purpose flour (this was a tip borrowed from my King Arthur Whole Grain Baking book)
1 t. vanilla
The original recipe had cinnamon, this version has none because of the addition of the ginger
Preheat oven to 350 deg F
Peel, core, and slice pears
Mix together eggs, milk, salt, vanilla, evaporated cane juice crystals, and chopped ginger
Add flour and mix well
Grease a 9″ cake pan
Coat the pan with evaporated cane juice crystals
Layer the pears into the bottom of the pan (the original recipe called for the pears to be folded into the batter)
Pour torte mixture over pears
Bake 40-45 minutes or until done
Enjoy!
The torte was delicious, The balance of flavors was just right. The outer 1/2 of the cake was perfect, the middle of the cake had a more pudding-y consistency. I think the problem with the middle was either because of the way I arranged the pears (too many in the center made it more damp, checking the torte too early caused it to fall slightly, possibly not having the right amount of baking soda leavening*, or perhaps the pan was too big and I need to consider making this in my 8″ pan and adjusting the amount of batter.
So now I'm hoping that Teresa will once again generously offer some more of those fabulous pears and I can try again. I'll keep you posted.
*Shirley Corriher's book BakeWise says if there is too much leavening it can create too many bubbles in the batter which then rise to the top and cause the cake to be too heavy in the middle. The formula is supposed to be 1 t. of baking powder or 1/4 t. of baking soda for every cup of flour. Because I used both I did “fuzzy-math” to come up with 1/2 t. and 1/2 t. that may have been part of the problem. I really need to stop borrowing this book from the library and just break down and buy it, it's a great resource for bakers.
Changing A Recipe
For many people learning to cook is a fun activity; often it's something you learn when you're growing up. In the beginning you learn by simply following the recipes. That's why baking is sometimes equated to science, it has to do with the exactness of the recipes. That science-type focus can make it difficult to understand what to do when it comes to changing a recipe though.
Why do you need to know how to change your recipes? Maybe you've run out of certain ingredients, or, need to make dietary changes to your recipe. Making these substitutions is not always easy and actually can be somewhat challenging. You need to understand the differences between ingredients, which can be subtle and often requires trial and error.
Below are some guidelines to help you get started when it comes to switching up your ingredients.
Baking soda or baking powder?
Before we get into the substitutions I feel it's important to clarify the difference between baking soda and baking powder. A lot of people think they're interchangeable. They can be but you need to be aware of how they each function in order to know if the substitution will work. Some recipes may call for both while other recipes may call for just one of them.
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, requires acidity plus heat in order to create the rising action. However, this means that when you're using baking soda you need to be able to pop the recipe into the oven as soon as possible after mixing to take maximum advantage of the rising ability.
Baking powder, on the other hand, is essentially baking soda pre-mixed with an acidifying agent such as cream of tartar plus a drying agent, or starch, of some kind. Single-acting baking powder becomes active immediately after it is mixed with liquid. So the batter does need to be put into the oven as soon as possible.
Double-acting baking powder has a split reaction, partly when the liquid is added, and then a second reaction when the batter is exposed to heat in the oven. Because of this, recipes using double-acting baking powder can be held aside for a short while before you bake them.
Baking powder can be a good substitute for baking soda. If you only have baking soda and need baking powder you'll need to add 2 parts cream of tartar to 1 part baking soda; as an example, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar plus ½ teaspoon baking soda creates the correct ratio.
Substitutions
I've made some great doorstops/hockey pucks in my time by switching everything in a recipe and not understanding where or how I needed to make further changes. Keeping notes along the way is important. It can help you understand the evolution of your recipe and help prevent those inedible disasters.
I will share from personal experience that if you try to change everything at once you may find that you get an unpleasant result, so be careful when swapping. I usually change the flour first, then the fat, then the sugar.
Sugars
1 cup of sugar → substitute 1 cup of applesauce
You'll need to reduce the liquid in the recipe by ¼ cup – good for cookies, muffins, and quickbreads
2 Tablespoons sugar → ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Good for any baked goods, up to 4 tablespoons of sugar
1 cup sugar → 2 Tablespoons stevia powder or 1 teaspoon liquid stevia
The recipe may need further modification to make up for the loss of the volume of sugar
Flour/Starch
7/8 cup white flour → 1 cup whole wheat flour
You may need to let the batter sit for a few minutes to allow the extra fiber to absorb some of the liquid in the recipe
1 cup white flour → 1 cup mashed black beans
Wonderful in brownies
1 cup white flour → 1 cup nut flour + ½ teaspoon baking soda or baking powder
1 cup white flour → 1/3 cup coconut flour + 1 egg + a splash of water
Good for pancakes, cookies, and cake
1 cup white flour → 1 cup gluten-free flour blend
Depending on the recipe you may need to add tapioca starch or xanthan gum to make up for the loss of gluten
Fat and Dairy
1/2 cup oil or butter → ½ cup applesauce
Good for muffins or quick breads
1 cup butter → ¾ cup prunes + ¼ cup boiling water blended together
Good for brownies and other chocolate-flavored baked goods
1 Tablespoon butter → 3 Tablespoons ground flax seeds + 1 Tablespoons water
Let the mixture sit for 8-10 minutes to thicken before adding to the batter
1 cup oil or butter → 1 cup mashed banana
Good in brownies, muffins, or cookies
1 cup buttermilk or kefir → 1 cup whole milk + 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes to sour
1 cup milk → ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water blended together
If you need a slightly thicker consistency you can use a little more evaporated milk and a little less water
Eggs
The video below is a great resource for how to make substitutions for eggs.
Whole Wheat Pear Torte
In light of the previous post I decided to share this one to highlight that inventing or even modifying recipes is not always a straightforward process.
Cake Questions
My friend Claire recently learned about using carob as a substitute for chocolate and decided that she wanted to try it. She felt that it was best to start with a recipe that already used carob and try to change the sugar/fat ratios so she picked this recipe.
My reply: “This certainly looks great and your picture looks wonderful!! I would make one small change. Instead of brown sugar (which these days is nothing more than white sugar stained with molasses) I would try demerara sugar which is a lower process than white sugar and has a fairly good moisture content mimicking the effect of brown sugar.
In case you are wondering why manufacturers pull the molasses out of sugar to make white sugar and then add it back to make brown, it's so that they can get a consistent color palette in the product. Silly but that's why they do it.
As to the moisture…the cake probably came out a little drier because you used less sweetener. You can try to modify that by either adding a little more fat (oil or butter) or by adding something like sour cream (just a little) to help which would also give a subtle richness to the cake or applesauce which would help add moisture. The applesauce typically doesn't add anything to the flavor profile, just moisture.
Since I personally encourage people to eat more whole grains I would leave the whole wheat the way it is is the recipe, switching back to 100% enriched flour is nutritionally less desirable and will also significantly change the properties of the cake.”
As a general note, when you are modifying recipes it's sometimes difficult to remember all the different pieces that make up the whole. Changing one ingredient can have a major effect on the overall result. When working with baked goods the most important things to think about are if your change will impact the loft (whole grains are more dense requiring possibly more moisture or more leavening), the moisture, or the flavor. But most importantly, like Claire, have fun and experiment with your food.
Photo: Courtesy of Claire Wang
Natural Icing
A recent question on a forum that I belong to concerned what to use for icing/frosting colors so as to avoid artificial colors which are not good for you.
We use India Tree natural vegetable coloring. According to the website it's a concentrated vegetable liquid colorant. I do know that it only takes a tiny bit to color a bowl of frosting. The set is sold in a three pack of primary colors which can be combined to make any color you want.
If you want to switch away from petrochemical colorants this is a good alternative.
Mesquite Flour
My friend Misty asked me “What do you know about mesquite flour?” Mesquite (genus Prosopis) is a deciduous, leguminous tree that grows quite well in Texas and Mexico and has a range that goes as far north as Kansas and westward to southern California. Most people use the wood to create a flavorful smoke that imparts a fabulous taste to barbequed meats. But mesquite also has another purpose.
Cookies And A Question
My friend Helene recently shared a wonderful gluten-free cookie recipe with me. She said it was so fabulous that she was going to have to freeze the cookies, otherwise she was afraid she might eat them all. Frozen cookies have never stopped me, sometimes they are even better that way.
Helene's Coconut Almond Cookies:
1 c. coconut Flour
1 1/2 c. Almond Meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. honey
1 Tbsp Almond Extract
Mix the dough together in a cuisinart until a ball forms
Freeze dough for approximately 30 mins
Preheat oven to 350 deg F
Roll dough between two sheets of was paper
Cut cookies using a cookie or biscuit cutter
Bake for 7 mins, remove to wire rack to cool
While we were talking Helene also asked if there were any eggs in shortbread.
The answer is no. Shortbread is a particular type of cookie that has a 1-2-3 recipe. One part sweetener (usually sugar), two parts butter (or other shortening), three parts flour (although old-fashioned shortbread was and is made with oats) and then enhanced with flavorings and or spices. The “short” refers to the crumbly dough. Fat retards gluten so even if you used wheat flour, the high amount of fat would prevent the dough from forming long gluten strands.
It’s Not Just Soup
Barley is a very versatile cereal grain that we get from grass, Hordem vulgare. It is cultivated all around the world and has a wide variety of uses, from animal fodder to cereal to alcohol to malt and more. Barley contains all eight essential amino acids and is a very rich source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. It is also a good source of selenium, a trace mineral that is helpful to the immune system and with helping to regulate the thyroid.
Three cups of water
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium.asp,
http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/barley-nutrition.html,
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=127#nutritionalprofile
http://homecooking.about.com/cs/vegetables/a/barley.htm,
http://www.barleyfoods.org/nutrition.html
Happy But Sad
Happy, yes I am, mostly because I am sitting here eating this delicious muffin. Sad, yup, that too, because I'm not sure I'll be able to replicate it.