Baking thread

[dragonfire00]

Hello! I haven't been very active in a while although I occasionally lurk. I'm doing well though Hope the same for you ladies.

As I'm sure it's similar for a lot of you, times have been rough with inflation and high food prices so we've been having to make cuts in the quality of our food. I've also been baking and cooking/meal prepping a lot more, and that was one area that I really struggled with as a stay at home mom. I am making an effort to cut out bad oils from our lives (canola, vegetable, i think sunflower too etc) but I struggle with a substitute for baked goods.

Olive, coconut, and avocado oils seem to make the most sense for baking but coconut is the only one that doesn't add a weird flavor in certain things- but it does in others so I'm curious as to what you guys would substitute. Lately I've been making pumpkin related things and I try to use coconut but I'm not sure if that would go well with it. Is there another high heat oil that is healthy that would be better? I do use pumpkin puree and that decreases the amount of oil, I'm not sure if adding more and NOT putting oil would work or not.

Thanks!

 

[messaggera]

@Ah_Tibor has given some alternative suggestions to butter; she may have an answer to the oil substitution.

I really reduced oil olive intake with fasting; do not crave it anymore.

Would be interested to hear answers too:

Is there another high heat oil that is healthy that would be better? I do use pumpkin puree and that decreases the amount of oil, I'm not sure if adding more and NOT putting oil would work or not.

 

[Starlight]

I’ve read lard is healthier than butter and can be used as a substitute for butter and oils in baking recipes and is generally cheaper than butter these days (high quality lard costs about the same as regular butter pound : pound). There was some discussion on using lard for cooking/baking in this thread:

Very old recipes and cookbooks

I recently stumbled upon an electronic archive of old cookbooks (before 1900). It's quite fascinating to see how different the diet was. https://savoringthepast.net/2014/08/28/18th-and-early-19th-century-cookbooks-digital-searchable-and-free/ I was browsing through The Virginia Housewife (1838)...

www.rooshvforum.com

 

[Ah_Tibor]

@Ah_Tibor has given some alternative suggestions to butter; she may have an answer to the oil substitution.

Some people use applesauce in lieu of oil in baking. I never got on the coconut oil train (except as a topical).

I don't think either butter or olive oil are bad or unhealthy (unless you're eating a stick straight-up, not judging though).

 

[dragonfire00]

I’ve read lard is healthier than butter and can be used as a substitute for butter and oils in baking recipes and is generally cheaper than butter these days (high quality lard costs about the same as regular butter pound : pound). There was some discussion on using lard for cooking/baking in this thread:

Wow really? I typically use grass fed butter (like Kerrygold) but it is expensive. I'll have to look into that. Thanks for linking I'll check that out!

 

[dragonfire00]

Some people use applesauce in lieu of oil in baking. I never got on the coconut oil train (except as a topical).

I don't think either butter or olive oil are bad or unhealthy (unless you're eating a stick straight-up, not judging though).

I like coconut oil because of all the uses, although olive can also have many too. I have friends whose young kids were a very low weight percentile that gave them sticks of butter to gain weight lol. I wouldn't want to/be able to get away with that

 

[IconWriter]

I love using olive oil, and as a second, coconut oil. I have to share this recent discovery: To a box of spice cake or carrot cake, just add a regular can of pumpkin puree and bake as usual. No eggs, no oil, no water! It baked in a square pan and turned out just fine! It was my first try using pumpkin instead of oil.

 

[Roosh]

Has anyone tried baking Russian layered cakes? I remember the Honey Cake when living in Ukraine. It's quite pleasing...



Here's a starter recipe that uses 8 layers:

8-Layer Honey Cake Recipe (Medovik)

This honey cake is so soft and fantastic. The honey baked into the cake layers pairs perfectly with the simple sour cream frosting. It will WOW your crowd!

natashaskitchen.com

But you'll want to eventually use 12 layers for authenticity:

 

[EntWife]

Has anyone baked bread with a natural yeast starter? I've baked some delicious bread with it, but I'm still struggling with taking care of the starter. If I leave it on the counter, it turns sour, which limits how I can use it. If I keep it in the refrigerator, it gets sluggish and takes about 10 hours for the first rise, then maybe 6 or so for the second. Of course, that long of a rise in a warm place typically makes the yeast slightly sour again, affecting the flavor of the finished baked goods. In some things, that slight sour flavor is great, but it doesn't work for everything.

 

[Roosh]

Has anyone baked bread with a natural yeast starter? I've baked some delicious bread with it, but I'm still struggling with taking care of the starter. If I leave it on the counter, it turns sour, which limits how I can use it. If I keep it in the refrigerator, it gets sluggish and takes about 10 hours for the first rise, then maybe 6 or so for the second. Of course, that long of a rise in a warm place typically makes the yeast slightly sour again, affecting the flavor of the finished baked goods. In some things, that slight sour flavor is great, but it doesn't work for everything.

Have you tried using a pre-ferment (poolish) instead? It has the benefits of a sourdough starter (taste/texture) but without the maintenance. You simply do the poolish mixture the night before you bake and let it ferment until it kind of smells like beer. There are a lot of videos on YouTube that can help get you started.

It does take some experimentation.

 

[EntWife]

Have you tried using a pre-ferment (poolish) instead? It has the benefits of a sourdough starter (taste/texture) but without the maintenance. You simply do the poolish mixture the night before you bake and let it ferment until it kind of smells like beer. There are a lot of videos on YouTube that can help get you started.

It does take some experimentation.

Never heard of it. I wonder if it still ends up with a slightly sour flavor though. I'm trying to get my starter a neutral flavor so my kids will eat homemade bread.

I'll have to look that up and see. If I could get a neutral flavor with less work, that would be great.

 

[Roosh]

Never heard of it. I wonder if it still ends up with a slightly sour flavor though. I'm trying to get my starter a neutral flavor so my kids will eat homemade bread.

I'll have to look that up and see. If I could get a neutral flavor with less work, that would be great.

I wouldn't say the flavor is "sour".

 

[EntWife]

I wouldn't say the flavor is "sour".

Oh, you've tried it? Does the bread end up a neutral flavor that children wouldn't object to?

 

[Roosh]

Oh, you've tried it? Does the bread end up a neutral flavor that children wouldn't object to?

Yes it's my default loaf recipe. It improves the texture (chewier) and gives it a deeper bread flavor.

 

[Ah_Tibor]

Oh, you've tried it? Does the bread end up a neutral flavor that children wouldn't object to?

This exchange is making me laugh hahaha. My son is in the "YUCK" phase right now and I'm caught between millennial parenting "well don't eat it if you don't like it" and old school mom brain "TOO BAD"

 

[EntWife]

This exchange is making me laugh hahaha. My son is in the "YUCK" phase right now and I'm caught between millennial parenting "well don't eat it if you don't like it" and old school mom brain "TOO BAD"

1980's hillbilly parenting was, "You'll eat what's on the table or go hungry."

Of course, the very same woman who used to say that to me when I was a kid acts like I'm starving my children because I limit the amount of junk they can have. Becoming a grandparent really does change people.

 

[EntWife]

Yes it's my default loaf recipe. It improves the texture (chewier) and gives it a deeper bread flavor.

Thanks, I'll have to try it.

 

[Ah_Tibor]

1980's hillbilly parenting was, "You'll eat what's on the table or go hungry."

Of course, the very same woman who used to say that to me when I was a kid acts like I'm starving my children because I limit the amount of junk they can have. Becoming a grandparent really does change people.

Yeah, Slav mom is the same and it worked. I was a pro-vegetable child.

Grandma has an extensive cabinet of chocolate and snacks. Building memories, I guess

 

[messaggera]

I do love cheese and butter! And so does my daughter. Doing away with those has been the hardest part of the diet

Thought of you and your daughter during Lent when making these vegan cupcakes.
There is gluten free flour, but I have not tried it in the recipe to follow. Made these cupcakes during Lent twice and the tin was empty within 24 hours between our house and neighbor children. I had a total of two out of two dozen, during Lent when dairy is restricted.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Whisk the following dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of flour
1 1/2 cup of sugar (recipe called for 2 cups)
1/4 cup of unsweetened Cocoa Dutch Chocolate (used the same for the cake recipe)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Add to the dry ingredients after combining in separate bowl:

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
1/3 cup of coconut oil
1 cup cold water (added as needed)

Bake for 18-20 minutes
If the cupcakes sink in the middle the oven heat is too high - adjusted as needed - or the following:

https://ohshecooks.com/why-do-cupcakes-sink-in-the-middle/.

@Kitty Tantrum may have some suggestion for sink in the middle issues.

 

[Kitty Tantrum]

My biggest tips, maybe kind of nerdy, fair warning:

- Convert everything to grams and always measure with a precise scale.

- Learn about hydration and viscosity and the stages of batter development. This sounds more complicated than it is. Basically, it's more important to understand how much the sugar needs to be dissolved before adding any flour, and exactly how your batter should look and feel and pour and spread, than to be picky about how long it is mixed - for example. Ambient humidity (or lack thereof) can throw off how much hydration ends up in a batter, so even the most precise and consistent measurements can yield varied results in different weather.

- Stick to the same processes and the same order of operations every time (sometimes people think they can take shortcuts or save dishes... if you're enough of a pro to know when you can get away with mixing things in a different way or a different order, you shouldn't be having problems with sinking cupcakes... ).

If you're pretty sure the batter is right and the sinking isn't a problem in the formula or process...

Sinking is often related to temperature management. Oven temperature and type of pan (material and shape) are important factors. Basically, the inside and outside of your little blob of batter cook at different rates instead of evenly/optimally. A similar problem in the opposite direction is when you end up with little exploded bloops of extra batter on top because the outsides set too quickly while the inside still needed to expand.

Sinking can also be caused by shaking, poking, or otherwise disturbing a batter during the baking process, before the structure is properly set. Sometimes just taking it out of the oven a little too soon can cause this.

Whether a cupcake pan is lined with paper, or just greased, or greased and floured, can make a difference in terms of how batter "climbs" in the cups. (I almost always line everything I bake with liners or parchment.)

Convection ovens with an aggressive fan can cause sinking if the batter is disturbed too much - or cause the tops to all spill over in one direction.

Altitude is another factor, and one I've only barely begun to understand and wrangle. I get to experiment and learn every time I visit my sister. Sometimes it's hilarious.

I guess my other big piece of advice would be to invest in a simple and highly durable set of baking pans (doesn't have to be expensive, I have a stack of $7-8 thin metal jumbo muffin pans with the nonstick coating, they are my favorite) and learn to bake with them. There is no fancy bakeware that will solve problems, whereas you WILL develop more consistent results and a better understanding if you control the variable of what you're baking in. Other things can be adjusted to suit.