“In
order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the
universe."
Carl Sagan
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Baking is nothing like cooking. As Alton Brown says, food +
heat = cooking. Cooking recipes beg for creative variance and
experimentation. Baking, however, is a whole different world. The
process of baking is a complex chemical reaction requiring precision
and accuracy. So, it is imperative to understand the purpose of
each ingredient and how they react and interact before attempting
any deviations.
The foundation to a great pie, both literally and figuratively, is
the crust. And nothing beats a homemade, flaky pie crust that
perfectly complements the pie filling. It's not difficult, but it
does take precision and practice. Go Pie!
Temperature:
Always keep the pie dough and all ingredients chilled.
Touch: Always use a light touch. Overworking the pie dough while
mixing or rolling will activate the gluten in the flour and toughen
up your pie dough.
Fat is the most critical component of a pie crust. The fat you
choose and the way you mix it with the flour determines the taste
and structure of your pie crust.
Butter provides a rich flavor and a deep golden color in a pie
crust. It cannot be emphasized enough - make sure the butter stays
very cold. Butter contains water, and if the butter gets warm, there
are reactions with the water and the flour producing glutens, which
creates a tough pie dough. Recipes are written for unsalted butter.
If you only have salted butter available, omit any salt that might
be in the recipe.
Shortening or Lard: Using shortening or lard instead of butter makes
an extra-flaky pie crust. Since shortening doesn't contain any water
to bind with the flour, the chance of a tough pie dough is
minimized. These pie crusts are great for baked-custard pies. Dough
made with shortening or lard is easier to work with than all-butter
dough, but it's much less flavorful. Most recipes with shortening or
lard include some butter to add richness and flavor to the pie
crust.
Margarine: Margarine is a water-in-oil emulsion. Margarine is made
from any variety of animal or vegetable fats, and is often mixed
with skimmed milk, salt, and emulsifiers. During the manufacturing
of margarine, some of the unsaturated fats are converted into
saturated fats or trans fats in the hydrogenation process in order
to give the margarine a higher melting point so that it is solid at
room temperature and has the appearance and texture of butter.
Nearly all margarine is salted and contains liquids (which produces
a tough crust) and various chemicals, which makes shortening or
unsalted butter a better choice for baking.
Liquid holds the dough together, but it's imperative to use as little as possible. Too much liquid activates the gluten in the flour, making for dense, chewy dough. Too little liquid and the pie crust falls apart. The key is to find the perfect balance. Acidic liquids, like vinegar, sour cream, yogurt or lemon juice, help relax the gluten and assure a tender crust. But ice water is the most ubiquitous liquid of choice.
All-Purpose Flour: When in doubt,
use this basic flour; it can be used in most baked goods.
Whole-Wheat Flour: This flour provides a fuller flavor since it
contains the wheat germ. If you want to add whole-wheat flour to a
recipe, substitute up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole
wheat; any more than that and your baked good might be too tough.
Also, you may need to add more liquid or fat to compensate.
Cake or Pastry Flour: This finely ground
soft-wheat flour is high in starch and low in protein, and is used
for baking tender cakes and pastries.
Bread Flour: This flour is higher in
gluten, so it gives body to bread and pizza dough.
Self-Rising Flour: This is all-purpose
flour with baking powder and salt added. Don't substitute it for
other flours because the added ingredients will affect your recipe
— only use it if the recipe calls for it.
Adding sugar makes the crust sweet and even more tender. Sugar
(along with fat) is what causes baked goods to brown as it
carmelizes. Using egg yolks or cream as the liquid makes the crust
rich.
Granulated Sugar: Plain white sugar,
this is refined from sugar cane or beets and is used in most baked
goods.
Superfine Sugar: Since it is more finely
granulated than table sugar, it dissolves almost instantly and is
useful for meringues and cool liquids.
Confectioners' Sugar: Also called 10X,
this is granulated sugar that has been ground into a powder.
Confectioners' sugar is commonly used in cake and cookie icings and
is often dusted on desserts.
Brown Sugar (Light or Dark): This
soft-textured, hearty-tasting sugar is white sugar flavored with
molasses. Light and dark are interchangeable (the difference is the amount of molasses); so use whichever you
prefer.
Decorating or Coarse Sugar: The granules
are about four times larger than granulated sugar and come in a
myriad of colors. This is generally only used for decorating.
Molasses: This dark, viscous syrup is
the liquid that is left behind from refining sugar. Light molasses
is from the first boiling of the sugar syrup; dark is from the
second; and blackstrap, the strongest, is from the third and not
usually used in desserts. Unsulphured usually has a cleaner flavor.
Honey: The lighter the honey, the more
delicate the flavor.
Maple Syrup: Pancake or table syrup is
not real maple syrup, so make sure you use pure maple syrup.
Sugar Substitutes:
Sugar substitutes are best used in
applications when the sugar's primary purpose is to provide
sweetness, such as in fruit fillings. Also, keep in mind that sugar
substitutes can lose sweetness, and even develop an unpleasant
aftertaste, when cooked at high temperatures. When baking with
sugar substitutes or recipes very low in sugar and low in fat, food
may not brown properly.
Baking Soda (also known as
bicarbonate of soda) is used as a leavener to make dough and batter
rise. Baking soda has a shelf life of six months once opened, so
make sure yours is fresh.
Baking Powder is composed of baking
soda, an acid (usually cream of tartar) and a moisture absorber,
like cornstarch. Baking powder has a shelf life of six months once
opened, so make sure yours is fresh.
Unsweetened Chocolate is also called
baking or bitter chocolate. For convenience, buy in one-ounce
squares.
Dark Chocolate can be labeled
bittersweet or semisweet, which can often be used interchangeably
when baking.
Milk Chocolate is dark chocolate with
milk solids added, making it creamier and mellower.
White Chocolate is technically not
chocolate since there is no chocolate liquor, but it does contain
cocoa butter along with sugar, vanilla and lecithin.
Chocolate Chips contain less cocoa
butter than chocolate bars, which is why they can retain their
shape.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder has a deep
chocolate flavor. Dutch-process cocoa powder has been treated with
an alkali, which neutralizes its acidity and makes it mellower.
Recipes are often written for one type or the other, as they react
differently with baking powder. Dutch process is always labeled on
the box; if there is no mention, it is natural. Cocoa adds color and
flavor to crusts, but it acts like flour, so too much can make dough
dry and tough. For a high-impact flavor, use dark, Dutch-process
cocoa.
Salt: Use a fine-grain salt,
not kosher or coarse, for baking.
Adding nuts to pie crusts contributes
richness and flavor. Dough with nuts can be extra sticky, but if
it's kept well chilled and manipulated with a little floured
parchment, the result is worth the extra effort.
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*The Fine Print
