•For whipping egg whites, both the mixing bowl and chef’s whisk must be spotlessly clean and dry. Any trace of fat or oil will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly.
•To check the freshness of eggs, place them in a bowl of warm water – if they float, they are not fresh.
•To melt chocolate for a recipe, place chopped chocolate in a double boiler insert or larger bowl over a pan of barely simmering hot water. The water should not boil, nor should it touch the bottom of the double boiler insert or bowl. If it does, this could cause the chocolate to “seize” and you will not be able to use it in your recipe.
•Always test yeast for freshness before using it in a recipe. Sprinkle a little over warm
•For mixing yeast doughs, begin by using the flat mixing paddle. When starting a recipe, dough is thinner and more like a batter and mixes more efficiently and smoothly with a paddle. After a very thick, smooth batter forms, switch to the dough hook to complete the recipe.
COOKIE BAKING
•Use an ice cream scoop to measure out cookie dough – this keeps the cookies evenly shaped and uniform in size. We recommend ice cream scoops in several sizes – #’s 40, 50 and 60, as well as a larger one (about 1⁄3 to ½ cup) for jumbo cookies. Ice cream scoops, also known as “dishers” are also good for filling muffin tins. Use a #16 ice cream scoop to make muffins or meatballs.
•To better maintain cookie shapes, put scoops of cookie dough onto sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap on a tray and chill before baking. Most cookie dough can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days prior to baking – be sure to wrap well.
•Cookie dough may also be frozen. Shape into individual cookies, double wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
•Line baking sheets with parchment for easy release and easy cleanup.
•Let cookies rest on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool. This keeps cookies from wrinkling, crumbling or breaking.
•Cookies must cool completely before being put into storage containers to avoid them becoming soggy and misshapen.
BREAD BAKING
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•Using milk in place of water will produce a softer crust.
•After baking, you can soften the crust, if desired, by rubbing it with unsalted butter soon after removing it from the oven. This prevents it from drying out too quickly.
•If a recipe calls for a specific type of flour, used the flour recommended. If you do not have bread flour, you can substitute unbleached,
•Do not use “lite” or tub margarines for bread baking – the first ingredient is often water and they do not work well in any baking.
•Vital gluten is the dried protein taken from the flour by eliminating the starch. It is a good dough conditioner or enhancement for yeast breads, especially for whole grain breads or when using
•For 100% whole wheat bread use 1½ teaspoons vital gluten per cup of flour.
•Lite salt can be used if it has both potassium chloride and sodium.
•Many bread recipes have a “range” amount of flour – start by using the lower end of the range, then add more flour as needed to produce a smooth, not sticky dough.
•Before measuring molasses or honey, oil the measuring spoon to help it run off better.
•To produce a higher loaf of bread, use water that potatoes have been cooked in.
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