PetarG

I have several books (in pdf format, although I'd like to have physical copies). Not enough time to read them all with trying to finish my studies but I'll get there, it's a process. So far I've got: Ratio by Ruhlman - read extensively, and has served me well thus far King Arthur's baking company book - literally just downloaded it Figoni - how baking works - read 10% Bo Fridberg - the professional pastry chef - skimmed, used some recipes for fruit and chocolate sauces The final one is more a compendium of recipes and techniques, and is not what I'll focus on - tends to not talk about why a certain ingredient is added. I'll add Bakewise and Cookwise to the mix. Yeah, I was actually thinking of making a detailed list of what I have and making a "rate my setup" kind of thread. I am living in a small 30m2 apartment which has only one room where the bed and kitchen is (thankfully the bathroom is separate). The oven I have is fairly okay, tested it with an oven thermometer and it is accurate. Come to think of it, probably should get a room thermometer for stuff like butter and confections (that I'll get into later). EDIT: Type of oven - non-convection. As you might imagine, space is at a premium. I have one cookie sheet, a large 27 x 15 cm pan, two round detachable-rim cake pans (one 26, other 16 cm, around), a loaf mold and a tart pan. The cookie sheet needs a bit of a clean from years of neglect by former tenants (and me admittedly) - I am buying my own cookware from late. I could provide pictures - what is important about pans and sheets? They are not warped but are fairly thin - thus don't hold heat very well. The stovetop is a problem - only electric coils which are slow, fine for stocks but not so for searing meat. I also have a portable induction burner which is better for sauteeing. I can make a collage of pictures and if you wanted you could advise what should be bought. I am planning on buying another cookie sheet and a pie pan - tart pan is too shallow.

I think I figured out this creaming thing, and it purpose is clear - beating the butter with sugar creates small pockets of air which expand when heated, leavening the cookie. After the cookie bakes, the cookie structure should harden, and the cookie is crumbly but light. The second try was even simpler - just the 3-2-1 shortbread with a dash of vanilla. Made a small mistake when forming the log - did not press the dough hard enough, which made cutting the log harder, as some slices split in half. Also, I have to work on making the slices more uniform as some cook faster than other. Still, the result was surprisingly good - a crisp, crumbly cookie which nonetheless held itself together. Sometimes a stray grain of salt would hit my tongue, which was a nice contrast. I am very pleased with this cookie, and declare it the 'default' from now on. Will probably try adding spices, lemon zest and other mixins - thinking of cardamom and lemon.

So the concept of this thread is going to be basically me posting what I've baked in an effort to document what worked, what did not etc. I am an enthusiast in baking and am very much interested in the processes that happen in the background when making pastries. My ultimate goal is to be able to adjust and create new recipes without the need to consult recipes online, and to understand what exactly the role of each ingredient is, what happens when the ratios are changed etc. I was given the go-ahead from the powers that be (mods). I hope those that read the thread can chime in with advice or potentially avoid a pitfall. So for a beginning, I am currently trying to get a solid base in cookies, and as a starting point took the 3-2-1 ratio shortbread, mostly because that's what the Ruhlman's book suggests. On the day 1, I made a mistake of not creaming butter enough, and when I added the orange zest and egg, the mixture was not creamy, and instead butter looked lumpy (picture not shown). I topped these cookies with toasted almonds and brazilian nuts, gluing them to the cookie with a simple glaze. The cookie was not crumbly, but had a bit of a chew. Not unpleasant mind you! The highlight really were the nuts and the orange flavor. The cookies were good enough to share with colleagues after a 12-km run, which was well recieved. This was a happy little accident, but unexpected, which is not what I want - I want control. Still, I will note it.

So today I learned that I have never creamed butter properly, and as such my cookies always ended wonky, dense and chewy (in a bread kind of way). Today I waited until butter was around 18C, then whisked on low power a bit, and dumped crystal sugar into the butter in thirds. After 10 minutes the mixture expanded in volume a lot and changed into very pale yellow, which is what I want. However, there was still sugar crystals inside I could feel. I assume this is on the right track, but what could be the reason for this? Not enough whisking? Crystals too big? I heard using powder sugar is NO bueno. I ended up folding flour in and the mixture looks very promising, I'll report tomorrow when I top them with some chopped nuts or glaze. The formula I used was the basic 3-2-1.3 shortbread (I know its 3-2-1 but for me that ends up not sweet enough).

I see that this recipe calls for two apple types - one for base and one for flavor. Don't know what a Bramley is, so I take it a Granny Smith could be used for base and some flavorful ones like Honeycrisps for flavor?

Apple stock?? Stocks can be made with sweet ingredients?? I have much to learn it seems. The link seems to be for subscribers only. No paying necessary though, thanks! EDIT: When I google apple stock I get the goddamn stock market graphs. EDIT2: Ah, I see the PDF file.

Yes, that could be it - not enough time for the disc (thickness usually 3 cm) to equilibrate throughout. Seems more forethought is necessary to take it out sooner. I'll see what happens.

Once I mix it, I shape it a bit (not too much, to keep it cold) and throw it into the freezer after wrapping in cling film (2 days this time, I usually make pie or cookie dough in the evening before bed). Then I let it defrost in the fridge for 6 or so hours, and then let it become a bit pliable on room temperature, at which point I roll it between two pieces of parchment paper. The crust breaks a bit at the edges, and if I notice the dough to be too soft I put it into the fridge again. You say that you don't par-bake the crust with apple pie? How long do you bake it then for? How much sugar is needed for the apple slices? Yes, i use the same recipe for the galette as for the pie, and it is possible I worked it more, I do not know how I'd measure the difference. I'll look at how I could ... uh ... "acquire" the book. One difference could also be that I made the galette on the same day as the crust - it was in the fridge for long enough to firm up a bit. Thus, it is possible that when I use pie dough, I do not let it thaw out enough in the fridge, and as a result the surface is warmer than center, which a) makes rolling tougher, necessitating harder rolling which b) melts some butter and develops gluten. What do you think?

I have a couple of questions regarding apple pie that I hoped some more experienced members can chime in. I've made an apple pie with the intention of slathering it in salted caramel sauce. The filling and the streusel topping is basically using the technique from Sally's baking addiction recipe for the apple pie bars - the only difference is that the crust is not shortbread, but pie crust. The pictures are shown below, one with and one without caramel sauce (apologies for grainy photo, it is late where I am). I used 3 apples, 2 Granny Smith and one ... uh .. red one (don't know what type). So - after baking and cooling, I've noticed some stuff that irked me, and I got some questions I'd like comments on: The filling felt a bit dry - how would you amend that? I'd like it to be juicier. I coated the apple slices (thinly cut, a few mm thick) in flour and sugar, but they did not sit out for too long. Can I pre-cook the apples, sautee them in some butter, basically making an apple syrup? The day after though, the filling felt a lot better - the apples melded together and mellowed, especially the more acidic Granny Smith. In that case, do I pre-bake the shell more, since the apples are partially cooked? The pie crust - I try to keep the dough cold while rolling it out, but what I get is that the outer wall gets kinda hard and brittle, not flaky. The base is not flaky since it soaks in the apple juices, but I kinda like it. Can the base be flaky even with that much wet filling? I prick it and weigh it down with rice when pre-baking. I just can't seem to get that flaky quality, which is weird since I use the same technique in Galettes and there I get a beautiful flaky crust. Is the geometry to blame? The metal frame? So yeah, a rambly question. I hope I get some insightful comments. Don't get me wrong, the pie is not bad (especially after a day), I would rather it exists than not.

I will never again attempt to toast chilli flakes, and then take a deep sniff to "appreciate the smell". The invisible cloud of death burned my throat and nostrils for several minutes. Which spices are generally toasted?

Thanks. After a night's stay, the taste is way less eggy. A nice topping of sauteed apples with sugar would be a great adition. When you pour in the liquid custard, would you advise pricking the dough? I feel it may soak into the base, making it chewy. Dough is pricked to prevent rising of the base, which can also be prevented with weights.

Well I just tasted the pie after it cooled down a bit and it has a really eggy taste - I used whole eggs, should I use yolks instead? Kinda weird since I use the same ratio for creme caramel and the taste is never eggy. They do spend a night in the fridge though.

Looks like I'll have to re-arrange my living quarters a bit. I am in a small apartment and there's barely enough space between the oven and a cupboard to fully put in a sheet pan. Wait, this is a cooking subforum. How would I transfer the preceding post to a pastry topic?

So I wish to get better at making pies, specifically the custard pie. I only have a tart pan (removable bottom) and thus pouring in a custard and then putting the entire thing into the oven is a bit tricky, unless I want to add way less custard. I use a 4:2:1 by weight milk (or cream), egg and sugar. My question is - would pre-cooking the custard (instead of just scalding it) to a creme anglaise consisteny, and then baking help (because then it is more viscous, not going to overflow easily)? Should I then pre-bake the crust more? I will get a wide-edge pie pan ultimately, but I want to hear your experiences. Pie dough is no problem though, I am okay at that.

Cardamom is a great spice, made some rolls a couple of months ago but overcooked the sugar glaze which ended up a hard candy glaze; oh well.

I call this thing the "fridge cleanup pie". Effectively got rid of: some hen meat from stock making (still had some flavour) a bit of pork belly a can of tomatoes 3 slices of cheddar 2 potatoes some baked and pickled paprika The filling itself was a tad too fat, but it reminded me of rillettes - because that's what it ended up being, but with tomatoes and paprika. Wish I had some crisp salad to lighten it but I am happy I got the fridge cleared out. I'd probably cut the pork out, it took the hen meat over totally, still got tons to learn. Wish I crisped up the potatoes some more; they were soft and tender instead. Where do you people learn to photograph food by the way?

Hello, I guess I should start posting. Here are some Semlas we made on a workshop. I'll probably make some more alone; they are filled with this almond paste stuff and unsweetened cream which is a novel thing to me. Looking forward to browse these pages for inspiration!

I'll try it. Does slow cooking like with tougher meat work with pastries? I guess as long as the temperature is high enough to set the eggs. I strained the liquid beforehand to remove larger bubbles but some remained. I suppose if there are impurities then it is more likely to occur.

Hello EG forums, i am PetarG, a 27-something old guy that recently restarted his old passion in cooking, mostly pastries. I have majored in physics, so recently the aspect of physical and chemical processes in the food I cook has started to interest me, I have even started considering food science as a possible career turn. As my first post, recently I have been making custards, in particular creme caramel, varying milk to cream and yolk to egg ratios. I wondered if it was possible to make a double-layer creme caramel. Namely, cream is less dense than milk (980 vs 1030 g/L, temperature dependent), so a custard with cream should float on milk and not mix with it, if poured on top slowly enough. I put the entire thing very slowly in the 175 C oven and this is how it turned out. The upper bit is the milk (more dense) custard - I mixed in some chocolate to coulor it. The bottom one is with cream. As you can see - the top curdled, but less so the bottom. Apparently, this is because the milk mixture stiffens at a lower temperature than the cream one - fat stabilizes the protein I guess (any pastry chefs here?). Also that thin chocolate layer is interesting - is that cocoa fats or what? I am happy with the result as it proves the double layer can be achieved, but further experiments are needed not to curdle the milk mixture. How would you advise me to do this? Ideally, I'd buy an oven thermometer to put into the water bath to keep the water below 80-ish C but at the moment I lack the necessary instrumentation. Perhaps put the oven at a lower temperature and cook it longer, checking for the jiggle often? How do you do this? Thank you for having me! P.S. I have not found this kind of recipe anywhere - the double layer aspect that is - on the internet. Surely I am not the first one?