| |
| |
|
Cooking Tips Information |
|
|
|
What is Gluten and Why does it Matter?
Gluten is a substance made up of the proteins found in wheat flour that gives bread its structure, strength, and texture. Without these marvelous little proteins, bread would not be bread. It also explains why it is so hard to make bread from rice, potato, or oat flour and why wheat flour has to be added to rye flour to make bread-only wheat has enough protein. The gluten makes the bread. Gluten is developed in the dough when the proteins absorb water and are pulled and stretched in the kneading process. As the proteins are worked, they become long, flexible strands. As the yeast produces gases in the dough, mostly carbon dioxide, these strands trap the gas bubbles and the dough expands. When we put the bread in the oven, the gluten strands coagulate or solidify much as the protein in eggs solidifies as the egg cooks. How is it that we can use flour to make both a tender cake and firm chewy French bread? The gluten makes the difference. In a cake, we want little gluten development. In a chewy bread, we want a high percentage of well-developed gluten. We can control this texture in our baked goods by changing four conditions: 1. Selection of flours: Cake flours are "weak" or "soft" and have a low protein content, probably around 8%. Bread flours and high-gluten flours are "strong" and usually have a protein content of 12 to 14%. 2. Amount of shortening: Any fat is referred to as a shortening because it shortens the gluten strands. It does so by lubricating the fibers so they cannot stick together. The more shortening in the dough, the more tender and less chewy the product will be. 3. Amount of liquid: Gluten must have liquid to absorb and expand. If dough does not have enough liquid, the gluten will not fully form and the product will not be tender. That's why we put a minimal amount of water in pie crusts. 4. Mixing methods: Generally, the more a batter or dough is mixed, the more the gluten develops. Tender muffins use low-protein flour and are mixed only until the moisture is absorbed while breads are kneaded for a relatively long time. For more articles like this visit The Bakers' Library. © 2004 The Prepared Pantry
MORE RESOURCES:
Cooking-Tips - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Slimming Secrets From The Kitchen To get the svelte figure, start in the kitchen. Slimming down is about taking in less calories, while you burn more calories through exercise. ServSafe Food Program in Montana a Success Montana has a great program for restaurant employees. Each preparer of foods to the public must go through a special program where they learn at what temperatures food must be served and how to keep the place clean. Cooking Lobster at Home Lobster has always be one of those extravagant meals which few people ever try because of the high cost. With restaurants paying thirty dollars a pound, by the time they put their markup on it, you're easily paying sixty dollars for a ten ounce tail. 10 Wide Open Tips For Food Safety In The Great Outdoors Hiking, camping, and boating are good activities for active people and families. However, if the food isn't handled correctly, food-borne illness can be an unwelcome souvenir. Working with Eggs Bad eggs are rare but they do occur. Crack eggs into a separate bowl before mixing with other ingredients. Save Time in the Kitchen - Cook Pasta the Way Restaurant Chefs Do Have you ever wondered how a restaurant can get a dish of pasta to your table in about four minutes when you know it takes ten minutes just to cook the pasta? Does the water on their stoves boil at a higher temperature than the water on yours? Do they know a trick that you don't? As a matter of fact, they do.They parboil, or partially pre-cook their pasta; so when an order comes in to the kitchen, a cook can turn out a dish of perfectly 'al dente' pasta in a minute or two. Secrets of Great Breads Often we field questions about making great bread. Great bread is a matter of using the right ingredients and the right techniques-there's no single secret that will make perfect bread. Compact Refrigerators Are Great When Small Is Needed The small refrigerator can be used in many places that a regular size fridge would not be practical. Many places including offices, apartments, student dorms, hotels, motels, and military housing can benefit from using compact refrigerators. 50% Less Cooking 50% Less Cookingwithout hitting the fast food button! Don't you just cringe when some clever kitchen type tells you what you could be doing with the leftovers in the fridge, when it's plainly obvious the leftovers will stay there until they walk out by themselves!More often than not, saving money with leftovers, although a great idea, takes a lot of time in preparation and relies on many other ingredients being available. So. Fruit Cake Are you the fruit cake in your family? Before you raise your eyebrow, I would suggest you read on to know what I mean.The fruit cake has tantalized the world for centuries. Is Cooked Food Really All That Good For Us? In nature all animals eat living foods as yielded up by Nature. Only humans cook their foods and only humans suffer widespread sicknesses and ailments. The Almighty Beer-Can Chicken A popular method of cooking chicken in recent years both in Barbeque contest as well as backyard barbeques is the beer-can chicken. Cooking a beer-can chicken couldn't be any easier but the results are worthwhile. Digital Thermometers Types of digital thermometers & their culinary uses.Thermocouple:Of all food thermometers, thermocouple thermometers reach and display the final temperature the fastest - within 2 to 5 seconds. Foods That Freeze Well "Can I freeze it?" is a question often asked in our homes, and for good reason. Probably most of us, at some point or another, have attempted to freeze a particular food only to find out that it did not freeze well and either spoiled or became inedible. Keeping and Wasps and Flies Away from your Barbecue It is one of life's oddities that we take a lot of trouble refrigerating meat, keeping food sealed and washing our hands before touching it, only to throw out the rule book when we have a barbecue. The meat is left out in the sun waiting it's turn to be cooked, exposed to the elements and there is no washbasin to be seen. Cooking With Kids--Safely! School's out! And summer is a good time to introduce your child to chores in the kitchen!To help you along, here are some things to remember when cooking, especially with kids. Plus a couple of kid-friendly recipes!1. Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts We're all looking for that perfect pie, or cookies, or loaf of bread. It doesn't always happen. 10 Deadly Bacteria That Can Get In Your Food (And How To Stop Them From Getting There) Thousands of types of bacteria are naturally present in our environment. Not all bacteria cause disease in humans (for example, some bacteria are used beneficially in making cheese and yogurt). High Altitude Baking - A Cooks Guide High altitude baking can be a real adventure for the cook, with a number of challenges to keep you on your toes. The higher you are in elevation, the less pressure there will be. Cool Summertime Cooking Summertime--and the living is easy! But the kitchen is hot!! It's time for some cool cooking recipes and tips!1. Cook outdoors.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
.JPG)
