Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

WOODY COMMENT

Feedback: An Idea for Marking Weights on Mixing Bowls and Measuring Cups

as you know from our correspondence and having experienced first hand that not all eggs weigh the same or even three sticks of butter for that matter, I now always weigh out (in grams)the recipe's ingredients, except for ingredients of a tablespoon or less. I was recently amazed that a package of fresh raspberries labeled 6 ounces/ 170 grams, actually tipped my scale at 150 grams! Maybe someone at the factory was doing a taste quality control.

Although I would like to claim that I instinctively zero out any mixing bowl or measuring cup on my scale before I start adding ingredients, well i need to work on that habit. Should I get upset and start all over, blame the c=scale for not telling me, or take a wild assuming guess? Instead......

I have now written in magic marker the weight and numbered on the side of each mixing bowl, baking pan, and measuring cup in my kitchen. Since I am not planning on any "kitchen open houses" and we do not mind the now non-pristine bowls, they are all labeled. I also have a corresponding sheet with their number and weight noted incase the marked weight wears off.

Now if I find that 2 large eggs weigh 540 grams, I can do the math of subtracting the 440 grams written on my mixing bowl for the actual 100 grams of eggs, and a few less hairs missing from my head.

ROSE REPLY

this commitment to accuracy validates my trust in woody to be my official tester for my upcoming book!

it’s a great idea to mark the bowls. i wish industry would take note and mark both the weight and volume of the bowls and pans right on the side!

i’ve had a long standing fantasy of having kitchen wall paper with the weight of commonly used ingredients on it. one of these days i just might make my own by taking a magic marker and writing it right on the wall!

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ARIELLA QUESTION

Feedback: Hi.......

maybe you can help me. i have been making cookies and icing - powdered sugar, water and corn syrup - i have to heat the corn syrup a bit to get the icing to harden b/c there is a lot of damp in the air here. but sometimes - only sometimes - when the icing dries - the color dries and becomes kind of white (as opposed to whatever color the frosting is) - why is this and what can i do to correct it?

ROSE REPLY

i don't understand why you're using corn syrup in the icing. why not use a traditional royal icing with powdered sugar and egg white or meringue powder? i could see adding corn syrup if the air were dry to keep it from crusting as fast but you have the opposite problem of dampness in the air.

by the way, for really intense colors for decorating and then baking the cookies try mixing a little food color into egg yolk and painting it on. this is the ancient recipe for tempera painting and works wonderfully for cookies!

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Update Nov 2007: Have a new question? You should visit the new Cake Questions section of the forum, or the more recent blog entry, Cake Questions Too.

Jessica Question:
Hi!

I live in Australia and decorate cakes for friends and family. I just discovered an old copy of your book the cake bible in my local library. I think its great so I have looked up your site. I was just wondering if the book has been revised and updated since first being published? I notice that mud cakes are not covered at all in the book I borrowed and there are some other modern things missing too. Anyway I know you're busy so thanks for your time. Keep up the good work.

Rose Reply:
thank you for asking. in fact, the first revision of the cake bible has just come out but i haven’t added any new cakes. what i revised was the equipment and ingredient sources, how to adjust batter for the more current pan sizes that are 2 inches high instead of 1-1/2 inches, and the chocolate sections because people don’t talk chocolate brand anymore, they talk percentage of chocolate mass!

i am, at the present time, working on a comprehensive four color cake book for wiley which will be out in the next two or three years and it will include some of the newer cakes.

Cheryl Question:
Is it possible to attach ribbons made from fondant around the bottom edges of the tiers of a buttercream frosted wedding cake? How and at what point in assembly would you attach them? Thanks.

Rose Reply:
the answer is yes! i would apply them after the cake is assembled. they will stick to the buttercream so you should have no problem holding them in place.

Stacey Question:
What is the difference between your "favorite yellow cake" in this blog and the yellow cake in the Cake Bible in terms of taste and texture? Also, I recently made a French buttercream that tasted like a bowl of butter and a powdered sugar and butter frosting that tasted like pure sugar. What is the best vanilla frosting to use for cupcakes?

Rose Reply:
my favorite yellow cake on the blog is the same as the one in the cake bible. i put it in because i wanted everyone to have it even if they didn’t have the book.

not everyone likes french buttercream. some people prefer the sugary, slightly gritty texture of powdered sugar buttercream to the satiny texture of the french variety. in any case, it’s going to taste like butter and sugar because that’s what it is. but it should also be flavored with pure vanilla extract. and of course there are many possible additions to buttercream such as coffee, orange, praline….

Melvin Question:
thanks for writing. i made the cheese cake but i was a little lose the next day i used low fat cream cheese was that a mistake? or should i have cook longer? thanks

Rose Reply:
i strongly advise against using low fat products in baking. they will adversely affect both taste and texture. better to cut smaller servings!

Rene Question:
Dear Rose,

I love baking and always have. And now I have the priviledge of helping a young woman, who is like a sister to me, with her wedding cakes. Unfortunately what she wants is a fair distance out of my league. I am hoping very much that you might be able to answer a couple of questions for me.

A single cake, I could do. What she wants to have one cake on each table, which turns out to be about 40 individual creations. (Ouch.) She is hoping for 2 tier cakes (around 8 and 6 inches.) We are tentatively planning 7 different designs with fillings including everything from dacquois to conserves.

It is the sheer volume that puts me out of my depth. It means that everything must be done as far ahead as possiblem, which I have very little experience with. I usually serve my cakes as soon after I make them as possible. Your Cake Bible is helping me a lot because it has so much information about storing each of the components. I am just trying to work out some logistics.

Is it better to prepare the components, store them individually and then put them together as close to the wedding date as possible OR is it better to put the cakes together and store them (for as long as 4, even 5 months?) ready to be decorated? Or could we even decorate them so they are ready to be tiered and finished? I really don't know.

I could just not begin to thank you enough for any guidance you could give me. I love this girl and want to do everything possible to help her wedding day be just the way she dreams of it. I just don't know how the best way to organize this size of a baking project.

Since I am here writing, I have a side question: what is your experience with using flower petals IN your cakes and buttercreams. I have seen these recipes, but have not tried them. Are they a pleasant suprise? Or more novelty, less than delicious?

Thank you, by the way, for all of the help your books have given me in pursuing my favorite hobby. :) Now that I know you have a blog, I look forward to enjoying that too. :)

Sincerely,

Rose Reply:
you are a saint!!! most professional bakeries when they make cakes ahead store the layers unfrosted in the freezer (well-wrapped). but this may be bc this gives them the option to use them with different buttercreams as the orders come in. but it is also easier to wrap an unfrosted cake. to freeze a frosted layer you would have to freeze it first and wrap it after the buttercream has set. so probably the best approach is to freeze the layers.

when you make cakes ahead, it is helpful to use a little simply syrup sprinkled on the layers to keep them from drying.

we all hope you will send a photo of this massive undertaking so we can post it to the blog!

re the flower petals, i don’t imagine they would offer much in terms of flavor or in texture. there are wonderful extracts such as the rose syrup carried by la cuisine in alexandria.

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SARA QUESTION

Everytime i make poundcake, the bottom 2/3s is completely brown in color and the top 1/3 is golden yellow the way it should be. The brown part tastes fine and is nothing wrong in texture, it's not burnt. Just brown in color - im so puzzled and dont want to serve it to my customers like this for obvious reasons. Im using wilton's dark nonstick loaf pan - spraying it with nonstick spray. I bake it at 300 degrees in my commercial convection oven. Here is my recipe - i hope you can help.

ROSE REPLY

i don't like dark pans bc i don't want a dark crust on the cake. but if you are using them, it's a good idea to lower the heat 25 degrees and another 25 if using convection so you're doing the right thing. the problem sounds like the recipe itself. have you ever made It successfully using another oven, or another type of pan? you have three ingredients in it that promote browning: corn syrup and baking soda. if the lower part of the cake is getting more brown maybe the corn syrup is settling a bit. i use only 1/2 cup sugar for 1 cup of flour. you are using 1 cup of sugar for 1 cup of flour plus the corn syrup. that's a huge amont of sweetner.

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LISA QUESTION

Feedback: I wonder why my cookies cracked after it bakes.

ROSE REPLY

cookies will crack after baking or just towards the end of baking if they are over-baked. since they are so small they continue to bake on the sheet even after removal from the oven. try baking them less. if that doesn't help, use superfine sugar, or grind fine granulated sugar in the food processor. the finer the sugar the smoother the cookie.

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JERRY QUESTION

Feedback: Why is the bottom piecrust always gummy and the sugar on the top crust won't stick?

ROSE REPLY

for a detailed answer please see the blog entry on crisp bottom crusts located on the blog under november archives.

re sugar sticking to the top crust, you need to brush the dough first with milk or water.

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KAY QUESTION

Feedback: I just got silicone baking pans for Christmas, do they need to be greased/pam when using, any other tips for using this type of pan or where I can find more info. Thank You

ROSE REPLY

although manufacturers of baking and cooking pans use the term non-stick, this is a relative thing. there is no substance on earth that is 10% non-stick. silicone is the best of all non-stick materal but it still requres preparation. a light coating of oil will work for non-chocolate cakes but a sray that contains oil and flour or oiling and flouring the pans is necessary for chocolate cakes.

i wrote a booklet for lékué silicone pans that is packaged with the pans. these pans are carried in many stores around the country including fantés in philadelphia that does mail-order.

Read about my association with Lékué Silicone pans and bakeware from Spain.

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JENNIFER QUESTION

You mentioned that ganache was a really easy frosting to make, but that doesn't seem to be true for me. Every time I make it, the ganache develops a layer of oil and looks clumpy. This has happened with your sour cream ganache, light whipped ganache, and the regular ol' ganache. I suspect I am overbeating it when I add the dairy, but is that truly the case?
Thanks, Jennifer

ROSE REPLY

no, at least not for the regular ganache.you are overheating it and the cocoa butter in the chocolate separates and cannot be reincorporated. if you do it in the food processor as i indicate there is no way to overheat it because only the cream gets heated while the chocolate is ground and melts from the heat of the cream alone.

the ligt whipped ganache wil indeedl get clumpy if overbeaten.

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GARY QUESTION

Feedback: I HAVE TO COOK FOR A WATCHNIGHT SERVICE AT OUR CHURCH. IT WILL BE FOR ABOUT 60 PEOPLE. DO YOU HAVE ANY BRUNCH RECIPIES FOR A CROWD?

ROSE REPLY

i would make about 4 of the sicilian vegetable pizza rolls on page 220 of "the bread bible."

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Dustin Question:
A friend of mine brought a homemade pumpkin pie to our Thanksgiving dinner this evening, and it had a unappealing gray/green tinge to it. It smelled alright. I did not take a bite, but the other guests said it tasted fine. I just couldn't bring myself to try it. Of course, I whipped out my cookbooks, food chemistry books, and looked Online to see what I could find, but was unsuccessful. Do you have any idea what could have caused this?

Thank you!

Respectfully

Rose Reply:
this is a stretch but since this happened to me over 40 years ago i'll share this story/explanation: i was making an angel pie from the old joy of cooking and when i got to the part where it said: ïf you need to know more about egg cookery see page..."

i ignored this and used my aluminum saucepan to cook the egg yolk mixture which turned a sort of chartreuse which sounds a bit like the pumpkin pie in question. most people don't have aluminum pans anymore so books don't even warn you about this, but maybe the pumpkin pie filling was mixed in an aluminum pan. find out and get back to us.

maybe someone else will have another suggestion as to possible cause! but had i turned to the page suggested i would have read that egg yolk reacts to aluminum causing it to turn an unsightly color. it is for this reason that i put warnings in the cake bible right on the page where the recipe is written so that it can't be ignored!

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Bruce Question:
I had been wanting to make a tart for some time, so I checked out your The Pie and Pastry Bible of the library again. I had never made a curd before nor the particular crust. I made the lime curd with kiwi. It turned out very very good. I took a couple of pieces to a neighbor.

I was wondering about a pineapple tart with oranges. It tastes good in my mind. I was wanting to know how to make a pineapple curd. I would use a fresh pineapple. Should the pineapple juice be reduced first? If so, how much? How much sugar should I use?

ps. I own your Cake Bible and I don't use mixes.

Thanks.

Rose Reply:
this is a very interesting idea. i think pineapple and orange would make a good combination. you could do a pineapple tart with orange curd to see how you like the flavors. if you want to experiment with pineapple curd, i would use the delicious golden pineapple for the juice and the same amount of sugar as the orange curd. pineapple juice has a lot of acidity so you probably don’t need to reduce it. do let us know how it works!

Barry Question:
Dear Rose;
I can not begin to tell you how much I enjoy baking your recipes. I'm also the proud owner of all three of your "Bibles"

I do need your help though. I am consistantly running into the same problem with my pie doughs. For some reason my pie doughs are very crumbly and I'm having a very difficult time rolling the dough out. I measure accurately and use the correct flour for each of your recipes. Am I not kneading the dough enough? I'm afraid to make the dough to tough. Do you have any suggestions? I made your Tiramasu Black Bottom Tart the other day and I was just barely able to roll the dough. The edges of the dough were extremely crumbly.

Thank you in advance
Barry S.-an avid fan

Rose Reply:
thank you barry!
assuming you are using bleached all-purpose flour or pastry flour, (unbleached will be tougher and need more liquid) you might be using more flour than the recipe calls for if you are not weighing it. try using Wondra flour which is similar to pastry flour and will give you a more tender crust and also require less liquid. also, try replacing the water with heavy cream and add a teaspoon or 2 more if necessary. here’s how you can tell:
the dough should be crumbly at first but hold together smoothly when kneaded lightly. if in doubt, take a small amount of the dough and knead it to see if it holds together.

the best way to knead the dough is to use latex gloves because the dough won’t stick to them and you won’t need to add more flour. a helpful technique in kneading is what the french call fraiser. using the heel of your hand, smear the dough forward onto the counter one or two times. this will cause any lumps of butter to form long sheets, resulting in flakiness. then use a bench scraper to gather up the dough and with your hands, press it together to form a disc.

J Question:
Hi - I tried making a "mile high lemon meringue pie" recipe that I found in Fine Cooking magazine. It has brown & white sugar in it. I made it twice and both times the meringue was totally raw when you cut into it. It called for jut browning the meringue under the broiler....I even turned the oven down to 325F. and letting the pie sit in the oven until the meringue turned a liht brown all obver and it still was raw in the middle. I threw away the entire pie after the 2nd attempt...what did I do wrong?

Rose Reply:
a high, deep meringue can take a long time to cook through.

my preference for meringue on a pie is to use italian meringue. the hot syrup cooks the egg white and keeps it from watering out later. i bake the pie at 350°F, then i put it under the broiler for about 20 seconds watching carefully so it doesn’t burn. (see page 178 of the pie and pastry bible).

Lura Question:
why does my pecan pie always turn out "runny"?

Rose Reply:
it is the eggs that thicken the pie so if they’re not heated enough the filling will become runny. overheating them will cause them to curdle. for this reason, i cook the filling first on the stove top as you would a lemon curd. my recipe will appear on every container of Lyle’s golden refiners syrup starting in january. it is in the pie and pastry bible as well.

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JEANETTE QUESTION

Feedback: I have my mother's recipe for ground whole wheat bread from my mother, who died 3-2000, so I can't ask her. My bread has a fine texture, is moist and tasty, but it is crumbly. I'd like bread with a good cling like hers was. What makes bread crumbly?

ROSE REPLY

lack of gluten development. there is not much gluten forming protein available in whole wheat flour but if it's freshly ground, and if you use enough water it should be adequate to hold together well. to hedge your bets, add vital wheat gluten. there is a range of amounts on the package. start with the smallest amount so the bread isn't too chewy. it will make a huge difference to the texture of the bread.

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i can’t imagine life without a counter-top scale to weigh ingredients!. if i wrote books or recipes just for myself i wouldn’t even include cup measurements. while I’m going out on a limb i might as well admit that given my druthers i would use only the metric system. it’s so much easier, faster, and more reliable. can you imagine how crazy-making it is to create and proof all those charts in my books that list each ingredient in volume, ounces and grams! but i’ve got to cater to those resistant to weighing because as far as i’m concerned, it’s better to bake by volume than not to bake at all. and baking makes me happy so i want to share it with everyone.

bakers are born, not made. we are exacting people who delight in submitting ourselves to rules and formulas if it means achieving repeatable perfection. the rewards of this discipline go beyond providing absolute sensory pleasure. there is also a feeling of magic and alchemy that comes from starting with ingredients that don’t remotely resemble the delicious magnificence of the final result.

i’ve been championing the use of scales for baking for years but now i have a new and persuasive argument that just might tip the balance! two of the most important ingredients used in baking have changed in their packaging over the past few years, impairing accuracy of baking results. at first i thought it was a fluke but when i mentioned it to other bakers and chefs they also were puzzled and aware of it.

i’ve been finding more and more often that when i unwrap a stick of butter and weigh it, instead of getting the 4 ounces listed on the label, it weighs only around 3.87 ounces. I just don’t get it. there used to be laws and fines that encouraged manufacturers to go a little over the mark rather than risk going under (in more ways than one)!

the unnatural change in egg yolks, however, presents a real mystery of nature. i first noticed something weird when i was baking at a friend’s house in the french countryside. i was making a lemon custard tart and instead of the 6 yolks i would normally use i had to use about 10 to equal the same weight. each “large‿ egg in the shell weighed the standard 2 ounces or 56 grams but the yolk inside was tiny. happily most french households have kitchen scales so it was no problem. several years later i noticed the same thing happening in the u.s.! now as you know, the yolk is the living embryonic organism and the white is it’s food. could this new imbalance be a metaphor for the trend toward excessive food starting even this early in the development of life? I remember thinking at the time “poor little yolk—what happened to you?‿ and then yolk after yolk appeared in the same sad size.

another curious thing i’ve learned about eggs is that the law dictates that a dozen large eggs weigh in at a total of 24 ounces, but there can be significant variance in the weight of each individual egg as long as the total adds up.

before you start thinking that the problem is me, i should add that my three scales (are very high caliber laboratory scales that i calibrate on a regular basis.

recipes may not suffer greatly if the variations are minor but they won’t be perfect either. of course not everyone’s goal is to be a perfect baker but if you’re on this blog site i’ll bet you’re interested in investigating the possibilities of perfecting your baking. so here are some more of my pro-scale arguments:

any lover of baking ultimately will adore using scales once past the fear of what sometimes, at first, is perceived as a foreign object. weighing ingredients is not only reassuring, it is much faster than measuring and results in far less cleanup. consider how much easier it is to scoop cocoa or powdered sugar, with the inevitable lumps, into a bowl for weighing, rather than to try to measure out a level cup, lightly spooned. and i wouldn’t dream of trying to figure out how tightly to pack brown sugar into a cup when i can weigh it in a flash. also think how much more pleasant it is to weigh a greasy substance like vegetable shortening, rather than to smear it into a measuring cup or to weigh sticky corn syrup or honey. and if a recipe calls for a number of ounces of bittersweet chocolate that is not the exact weight of a chocolate bar, isn’t it nice let the scale determine the exact amount.

scales that have the ability to eliminate (tare) the weight of the bowl also make it possible to add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, one after the other, rather than having to use separate bowls for each. they can then be mixed together, eliminating the need either to sift the flour or to sift the dry ingredients together.

another benefit of weighing is the ease of decreasing or increasing recipes. and once in a great while, i have completed a batter or dough and suddenly wondered if i remembered to add an ingredient. when there is the slightest doubt, all i need to do is weigh the final unbaked product. if it is less than the total weight of the recipe, my suspicions are confirmed and i can add the missing ingredient.

not convinced yet? then think about all the money you’ll save on postage by not having to add more than necessary!

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LYNN QUESTION:

Feedback: I have a recipe for a delicious cake filling that combines whipping cream, vanilla, and chocolate frosting mix. Since dry packaged frosting mix is no longer available, how can I get a very rich chocolate cream filling. Thank you

ROSE REPLY

i know of none better than chocolate ganache. it is in many cookbooks including my own: the cake bible page 269 and it's really easy!

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DEBBIE QUESTION

FH_Name: Debbie
FH_Email: seitzdeb@yahoo.com
Feedback: I often see cookie or cake recipes that I'd like to try, but they contain varying amounts of coconut, which I detest. What is the maximum amount of coconut that I can omit, and still have the recipe come out right? Or is there something I can substitute?

ROSE REPLY

coconut is a very assertive flavor so there are those who adore it and those who detest it. if there are a lot of ingredients in say a cookie recipe and not a large amount of coconut it would surely make no difference if you left it out but if coconut seems to be the main or dominent ingredient the best thing is to chose another cookie or cake--there are so very many to chose from it shouldn't be a problem.

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INGE QUESTION

Feedback: I love to bake bread and would like to have an easy starter for sour dough bread.
I have several but they are pages long and I need a short, to the point starter. I have a bread machine but prefer to bake bread in loaves.

ROSE REPLY

there is a reason that instructions for sourdough starters are pages long. once you have developed a starter it only takes minutes once a week to keep it alive for years, but establishing a healthy starter is an achievement which feels akin to a miracle and miracles don't happen overnight. there is an answer for those who want an easy but excellent starter and that is to purchase an established one. king arthur is a great place to get a sourdough starter and you can also find other places on line.

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KAREN QUESTION

Feedback: I can not bake cookies. All of my baked cookies go flat. I have cookies look great fresh out of the oven and then go flat in minutes and I have had cookies go flat in the oven. I have an oven thermometer, I have tried hand mixing and have tried margarine versus butter to no avail.

ROSE REPLY

use a lower protein flour such as bleached all-purpose flour. unbleached has higher protein which ties up the liquid keeping it from turing to steam and puffing up the cookie. also, after shaping the cookies, refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes or freeze them for 10 minutes if you have freezer space. that way they can set in the hot oven before they start to spread. if this doesn't help enough, try increasing the oven heat by 25 degrees.

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DONNA QUESTION:

Feedback: canraspberrypureebefrozen?

ROSE REPLY

absolutely!!!

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BEVERLY QUESTION

Feedback: Each year I try to bake a pinwheel cookie.What is a good way to slice it? My recipe says to slice it one fourth of an inch.How can this be done.My slices are always too thick&when I try to make them thinner that is when I always mess it up.Can you help me?

ROSE REPLY
you need to chill the dough until very firm before slicing. you can even freeze it until firm enough to cut even slices. i like to use a serrated knife.

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ROSE QUESTION

Feedback: I have been attempting to make my deceased mother-in-laws recipe for what they call Norweigian Flat Bread. The recipe that I have calls for aprox. 4 cups of rye flour, 4 cups of white flour, 1 cup of Karo syrup, butter, salt and scalded milk. It calls for one package of yeast. I have trouble getting the bread to rise, do you think that 1 package of yeast is correct? This recipe makes 3 12" circular shaped breads.Thanks for your help!

ROSE REPLY

4 cups of flour usually require about 1 teaspoon of instant yeast or 1-1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast. but when you also have a large amount of sweetener and/or butter you need about 3 times the amount.

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sometimes i wish i could be a pie crust missionary—going around the country showing how fun and easy it is to make one of the most feared of baked goods: a delicious, flaky and tender pie crust--one that rolls out easily, is as malleable as clay, doesn’t tear when transferring it to the pie plate, and doesn’t shrink when baking.

the main secret to this perfect pie crust is the flour. I learned the perils of choosing the wrong flour when I was on my press tour for “the pie and pastry bible" 7 years ago.

I was on a live morning t.v. show, demonstrating this favorite crust and when I unfolded it into the pie plate my heart dropped because it cracked into pieces! I knew immediately that the prep person had not used a national brand all-purpose bleached flour. regional flours often have a lower protein content, thereby lacking the elasticity to hold together adequately in a pie crust. I just relearned this lesson when I was taping some segments at the food network’s shop at home studio in nashville tennessee. the prep person was terrific at turning out all manner of cakes and pies but I noticed that she had to patch the pie crusts which kept tearing apart. sure enough, she was using all-purpose flour but it was a popular southern brand which I knew to have lower protein. the head of the test kitchen ran to the supermarket and came back with some gold medal bleached and I whipped up my favorite pie crust in the food process in under a minute. it was a dream. and the prep person said she would never use a Southern flour for pie crust again.

the high point of my visit to shop at home was when LaQuita Scaife, the fashion consultant happened to tell me that when she was in high school in nashville she was the recipient of the betty crocker home maker of tomorrow award. when I told her that I was given the same award in my high school in ny, she screamed with delight, saying she had never met another betty crocker award winner. we went into the prep kitchen and told the director, carl conway, about our delightful discovery and to our utter amazement he announced that he also was the “betty crocker home maker of tomorrow" in his high school in 1972. after we stopped laughing and screaming with disbelief, he explained that the early 70’s was the height of the women’s lib movement and he wanted to show the girls that he had rights too, so he and 3 other guys enrolled in the home ec. glass. this gave him the right to take the test so he took it and won. he then went on to culinary school and was a cook in the army before becoming head of the test kitchen for shop at home. there must be something to the predictions of this award!

Back to the pie crust, since writing the pie and pastry bible, I did an article on pies with lattice crusts for fine cooking magazine, july 2004, and decided to tweak my favorite pie crust recipe to make it a bit more tender. I replaced the few tablespoons of water with heavy cream and not only did it make the crust more tender, it also made it more flavorful. and it is still sturdy enough to use for a lattice crust.

Here’s my new revised favorite pie crust. (Note: Wondra flour or pastry flour is also terrific and makes a slighty more tender crust.)

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Dora Question:
Hello Rose,

Before I get to my question, I must let you know that your Cake Bible is phenomenal. Thank you for sharing all your expertise.

I've been an avid baker all my life, and this past April I made my first wedding cake for a very special occasion: my sister's wedding. She loves everything lemon, so I decided on a three-tiered cake, each layer consisting of an almond dacquoise base topped with a light layer of lemon buttercream, then alternating layers of genoise classique & lemon curd, and coverered with the buttercream and finished with porcelain white fondant.

Her bouquet consisted of white calla lilies, so I made some lilies out of the fondant for the top, and since she loves pearls, the cake was decorated with a royal icing "pearl" variation-on-a-theme: 7 pearls arranged in flower patterns for the bottom layer, 3 pearls arranged in a triangle for the middle, and single pearls for the top. It was a lot of work, but everyone loved it.

Now, onto my challenge. I've made creme fraiche many a time before, but lately I've been encountering lots of difficulty with it thickening properly. In the past, after having left the well-covered cream/buttermilk mixture on top of the fridge out to thicken for about 24 hours, it's thickened, and I've put it in the fridge to let it continue to thicken. Afterwards, I've sweetened it, and had no problems.

But I'm getting really frustrated with all of my recent attempts. I know that heavy cream can vary slightly from batch to batch, but even though I've tried a couple of brands of whipping cream, I'm still not having much luck. And when I try sweetening it after it's been refrigerated a while, it liquifies way more than it ever has in the past.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your time and for your generous spirit.

Warm regards,

Rose Reply:
crème frâiche is one of the most useful ingredients to temper the sweetness of desserts, to add to scrambled eggs for a rich creaminess and tangy flavor, and to sauces. there is an excellent product available from vermont butter and cheese company. as you know, making your own is quite easy if you can obtain cream that is NOT ultrapasteurized. sadly this is becoming more and more difficult. it has been my experience that with ultra-pastuerized cream, it will eventually thicken if left in a warm spot of 80 to 90 degerees but it may take several days. my best advice is to befriend your local bakery. they usually have access to commercial 40% butterfat cream that is not ultra-pasteurized. (that's what i've done!) offer to buy it and i'm sure they will be generous in ordering extra for you.

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BARBARA QUESTION

Feedback: i HAVE A COOKIE THAT BECOMES QQUITE DRY AFTERBAKING AND i WONDERED IF THERE IS ANYTHING I CAN DO TO PREVENT THIS/

ROSE REPLY

cookies usually become dry due to overbaking as they continue baking after removal from the oven. better to underbake as you can always return them to the oven but you can't UNbake! bake the cookies until starting to brown at the edges and set but still soft when pressed in the center. leave them on the cookie sheets just until they are firm enough to remove and then transfer them to racks.
a few spoonfulls of molasses, honey, or corn syrup will also help to keep cookies soft.

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Erica Question:
Good Morning Mrs. Beranbaum,

I purchased your book about a year ago and I think it is great

I am planning to use your buttercream icing recipe for a wedding cake that I'm doing in December. I wanted to know if I should forewarn people about the use of raw egg yolks? Actually, I was also wondering if the yolks were cooked a little when I add the heated sugar/corn syrup combo?

Thank you for your time. -Erica

Rose Reply:
food safety experts agree that the highest risk is for young children, the elderly, pregnant, and those whose immune systems are impaired. the hot syrup is not sufficient to eliminate all risk.

since i'm not a food safety expert, i'd like to direct you to the american egg board: www.aeb.org.
they recommend the following:

1) use the buttercream recipe on their website, or follow the guidelines for recipes you may want to adapt
or
2) use pasteurized eggs in the shell available in some markets (pasteurized is marked on the carton)

or
3) use egg product (liquid or frozen eggs). at the present time these are available mostly to food service.

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please note, it is sweetened condensed milk called for in the recipe, NOT evaporated!

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SKIP QUESTION

Feedback: I've just started getting into this baking stuff and for a party last week I quadupled the recipe for muffins. This also meant two teaspoons of salt since 1/2 teaspoon was called for. I ended up with salt-licks embedded with blueberries. When increasing a baking recipe, do you increase everything proportionally? Or when it comes to some items, like salt, should you do something different?

ROSE REPLY

yes--you increase all the ingredients proportionately. but i find that if i don't write down the amount for each ingredient i often make mistakes. you may have added the salt two times. if it was the right amount of salt in the original recipe you would need 4 times the amount for 4 times the recipe. something went wrong.

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SALLY QUESTION

Feedback: I have owned the Cake Bible for years, but the pages keep falling out. I would like to buy a used copy on the Internet, but fear getting the same edition. Can you tell me what to look for to make sure I get a later publication (and, thus, a better bound editon)?

ROSE REPLY

sadly the publisher doesn't stitch the bindings in their books so if they get a great deal of use they come unglued. once i discovered this i vowed never to sign another book contract without a guarantee that my book would be stitched. so the bread bible is stitched and my next cake book will be stitched but the only way to get a stitched binding cake bible is to bring it to a book binder. there is, however, a newly revised edition in which i have updated all the ingredients such as chocolate, and equipment. there is a small, quarter size, label on the upper right side of the front cover that says "revised ingredients and equipment sections.

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Jane Question:
I attempted the Rosemary Foccacia a couple of weeks ago and ended up throwing out the mixture. When I completed Step 1, after 30 min. of mixing on my Kitchen Aid, the mix was still totally liquid. After sitting for 7 hrs, I finally tossed. What could I have done wrong?

Rose Reply:
many people have had trouble with this recipe but some have succeeded so i have to assume it's either the type of flour or the amount, i.e. if measuring instead of weighing the balance of flour to the enormous amount of water may be off. also, it may take longer than 20 minutes to form a ball but if it doesn't after 25 minutes you need to add a little more flour. For the airiest texture and largest holes, allow the dough to double instead of 1-1/2 times. i also double the yeast now as well. and most important of all, dimple the dough deeply all over before baking. i will be posting a fabulous new focaccia from primo in maine but you will need to have some sort of starter. old starter is fine--it doesn't have to be very active bc the recipe also contains instant yeast. i think this is the best flavor and texture of any focaccia i've ever tasted.

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Question:
I would like to know if all bread recipes (with yeast) can be used as a cool rise? That is after they are shaped and formed can I put them in the refrig. over night ?

Rose Reply:
i’m racking my brain to think if there’s an exception and can’t come up with one. oh! quick breads that use chemical leavening instead of yeast need to be baked soon after mixing. but yeast breads all seem to benefit from a cool, slow, overnight rise.

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Question:
Rose, I am a 74 year old Man that loves to cook and especially make bread. However, lately I am having trouble with my dough not rising as it should, the first time. Have any idea's?
I have several of your books and am looking forward to your new "Cake Book" coming out. Thanks

Rose Reply:
thank you—i’m really enjoying coming up with new cake recipes and delicious variations on old favorites.
if your bread is slow to rise on the first rise it may be that the yeast is old or that it is not warm enough. a slow rise is not a bad thing flavor-wise but the best way to speed it up is to give it more warmth—ideally moist warmth.

i use a cheap plastic box as a cover and put a small container of about 1 cup of boiling water in it—not too close to the dough or bread pan. i change it every 30 minutes. this gives you a temperature of about 80-85 degrees which is just right. higher temperatures will give it an off flavor.

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Amy Question:
I have a question about baking with Splenda. I have an at home cake business and just received an order where the customer would like a sugar free cake. She wants a carrot cake (1/4 sheet pan) with cream cheese frosting. I was reading all the information about Splenda on the Splenda website but thought perhaps I could spare myself a lot of experimenting and some money by asking - does anyone have tips for making a great sugar free carrot cake and sugar free cream cheese frosting?

Thanks so much for your time. As always, thank you for your wonderful recipes and helpful advice in your books.

Rose Reply:

what follows is a short piece on splenda that i wrote for fine cooking magazine a few years ago. i hope it helps. i know it won’t answer your question about a sugar free recipe for these cakes but perhaps another blogger might have a recipe to offer.

My philosophy regarding sugar substitutes is that there is nothing like the real thing sweetie! As a general principal, it is better to have a small piece of something wonderful than a larger compromised portion. But when it comes to specific physical intolerances such as diabetes, there can be a valid case for sugar substitutes.

The problem with “sugar substitutes” is potential compromise of flavor and texture. Of all the sugar substitutes, Splenda, however, comes closest to sugar in both, constituting a significant culinary breakthrough. In industry, it has dramatically improved the flavor of many commercial products that require sweetener.

Because Splenda’s flavor is so close to that of refined cane sugar, it makes an ideal substitute in a wide range of desserts where a precise crystalline structure is not essential, such as all manner of custards including ice cream (though sorbet will be less creamy), pastry creams, buttercreams, mousses, cheesecake, and even biscuits for short cake. But as in all substitutions, though it may be acceptable it is not identical. Sauces and custards may not be as thick and will probably cook slightly faster.

In traditional layer and sponge cakes, however, where the crystalline structure is needed for aeration, Splenda falls short because it will not result in the same volume. It will also not provide the moisture retentiveness and tenderness.

But wouldn’t you rather have a wonderful slice of banana cream pie than a less than perfect piece of cake?

For tips regarding cooking and baking with Splenda refer to their website: www.splenda.com

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MONICA QUESTION

I hope you are well. I have had an interesting cupcake experience. Today I made cupcakes using your All Occasion Downy Yellow Butter Cake, the recipe of which I have used on countless occasions for both cakes and cupcakes. I baked the first two trays of cupcakes in separate ovens at the same time and got basically the same result, I have gotten in the past. The cupcakes were mostly flat on top, especially when filled too high. (When filled lower I got a slight arc.)

While they were cooling, I ran out to the store, to get more cupcake fillers to bake the last of the batter (6 more cupcakes.) I baked these for the same amount of time, but got a much higher cupcake. It looked as if they almost erupted slightly...peaking like a volcano! I have attached a picture for you to look at...the one in the middle is from the second baking, the other two are two samples from the first baking.

Why did I get such a different result from the same batter? Did it have something to do with the batter sitting for more than 30 minutes before baking? Or that I used a 6 cup tray instead of a 12 cup tray? (The 6 cup tray was made of the same material as one of the 12 cup trays I used.) I would really like to be able to duplicate the result, since they looked nice frosted, but cannot understand why. Your insight would be invaluable!

ROSE REPLY

cake batter that rises up in the center during baking resembling a volcano is always due to the cake’s structure being too strong. this can be the result of using a higher protein flour or of inadequate leavening which i’m fairly certain is the case in your situation. baking powder is called double acting because part of it reacts on contact with the liquid in the batter and the other part from the oven heat. since part of your batter sat a while before baking, part of the baking powder activated leaving less to tenderize the batter. if you want to simulate the result, simply decrease the baking powder and you will get a more rounded top but a less tender cake.

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RONI QUESTION

I love to bake and have done so successfully for many years. The one thing I can't seem to do is to get a bottom pie crust to brown. I have used a Pyrex pie pan, a Pampered Chef ceramic pan, a French ceramic pan and a shiny metal pan. I have tried a number of pie crust recipes, too! Please help..Thanksgiving is coming, and I always make an apple pie. Thanks

ROSE REPLY

i feel strongly that if a bottom pie crust is soggy there is no point in having more than a top crust on the pie! i addressed this in my book “the pastry bible” where i give the technique for juicy pies of letting the fruit sit with the sugar to leach out the juices and then reduce them and return them to the fruit. this way you only need to use about one-third of the thickening agent which results in a more pure fruit taste and you won’t be left with a pool of fruit juices on the bottom of a soggy crust after baking the pie.

but this alone will not brown the crust. to achieve this, i bake the pie directly on the floor of the oven for the first 20 minutes of baking and then raise it to the bottom shelf. different ovens bake differently so you may need to leave it on the floor of the oven for a longer time. the best way to find out is to use a pyrex plate the first time you do this so you can see through it and gauge when sufficient browning has taken place. if your oven is electric and has coils on the bottom, the best alternative is to use a baking stone on the lowest shelf and preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes to ensure that it is heated fully.

i have recently designed and produced a special pie plate that is ceramic with deeply fluted sides to create a beautiful border effortlessly. it also does a great job of even browning of the bottom crust. it also has my favorite pie crust recipe decaled permanently into the bottom inside of the plate.
you can view it on www.laprimashops.com

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HARRIET QUESTION
Your book has turned me into a regular baker of bread. I now make all the bread we eat. Your recipes are clear and I learned and enjoyed reading about the process. Thank you for such a wonderful book.

My question: The free-form breads rise well for the initial rising. When I shape them, they spread rather than rise and the finished bread tastes wonderful, has good crumb but is wider than it is tall.

What can I do to make the breads tall? It's too late for me to be tall but it would be wonderful if my breads are.

Thank you for any help you can offer. I'd like to know how to make my free form breads tall rather than wide?

ROSE REPLY
thank you harriet—i also can’t imagine ever buying a loaf of bread again except, perhaps, out of curiosity.

free form breads do have a tendency to spread sideways after the final shaping. the advantage to making them free form however is that they will have a more open crumb. if this is what you desire, you will need to have a soft, moist, dough which will tend to spread more than a stiffer dough.

to help counteract this problem, bakers use special floured bannetons or even colanders lined with floured towels which give the dough support during the final shaped rise. to keep the dough from spreading further in the oven, it is important to use a baking stone and well-preheated oven so that the dough has what is called “oven spring.” one final suggestion is to use the la cloche bread baker which restricts the spreading of the dough as it contains it but you’ll need to make a large enough loaf to fill the container. oh—you might also try using a higher protein flour. of course you’ll get a chewier crumb but it will also be stronger and spread less. for really tall breads try the stud muffin which bakes in a soufflé dish that supports the sides, or a bread baked in a loaf pan.

Hope this helps and delighted by your success.

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Mike Question:
I have been using "The Bread Bible" for two years now & couldn't bake without it. I often make the butter-dipped dinner rolls found on pg. 249. If I want to double the recipe, do I need to double the amount of yeast or should I use less? I doubled the amount once & it seems as though the dough rose much faster that is did in the single batch recipe.

I also have an "old" recipe for Swedish limpa rye bread. Is there a way I can convert the amounts of ingredients to grams? I make a great loaf from the old recipe but I would like to standardize the amounts.

Rose Reply:
please check out the entry about increasing yeast under the bread catagory. essentially i wrote that for smaller amounts i didn't find there was a difference so i double the yeast but for larger batches of dough the yeast seems to multiply more rapidly and less is usually required. but if you found from experience that doubling this recipe made the dough rise faster i would cut back a little simply because a slower rise makes for a more delicious flavor!

i'm delighted that you want to convert a favorite recipe to grams. i find it so much more enjoyable working with grams than measuring or even ounces. since you have my book, all the weights are in the back. i would approach it by making the recipe as usual but weighing the ingredients as you measure them. then it will come as close to what your usual results have been.

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Dana Question:
I prepared your Chocolate Spike Cake from the Cake Bible. I could not get the icing to stand in spikes like yours did. It was either too cold and unspreadable or to warm and wouldn't stand in spikes. I am sure that my problems were entirely related to temperature of the icing, esp given the nature of cocca butter. What temperature should the icing be to form those lovely spikes?

Rose Reply:
i find that when i leave ganache or buttercream in the kitchen, which is about 80 to 85 degrees, it's just right for spreading on the cake and forming spikes.

of course for piping it needs to be cooler. play with those spikes. if they're too droopy put the cake in a cooler spot and check every few minutes until it's just right! once you get the right consistency it will stay that way for long enough to decorate the whole cake with perfect spikes!

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Christine Question:
What is the best way to grease and flour a detailed pan, such as a fleur-de-lys bundt pan? When I use solid shortening, gobs of it often get stuck in some of the details, so the cake batter can't fill in properly, and there are small gaps when I unmold the finished cake. I tried brushing melted shortening on, but it rolled off the non-stick finish. I've tried a spray product called Bak-Klene, which is an oil-wheat starch mixture, but everytime I've tried it, my cakes stick terribly, even when I use a silicone pan. Any suggestions you have would be appreciated! Thank you.

Rose Reply:
i've had great success with baker's joy which has grease and flour. sometimes it builds up more in one area so i use a little brush to get rid of the excess. my friend rich from nordicware likes to use solid shortening and then wondra flour. i haven't tried it yet but it sounds promising!

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my stepson michael and his wife frances had the good judgment to space their kids a few years and 6 months apart which makes it just perfect for a biannual visit to snohomish washington for each of their birthdays. elyse, who is just turning 6, was born right before christmas, and haley, who will be turning 10 was born in june. this also gives us the chance to experience two different seasons along with seasonal activities in such a beautiful location.

this years’ christmas visit started off with a request from the kids to make cookies. haley wanted her favorite: chocolate chips without nuts, And elyse wanted to try a chocolate fudge recipe that was in one of her books called “strawberry shortcake.” since it was meant for kids to make, i figured it would be quick and easy but when i discovered that we were 1/4 cup short of sweetened condensed milk, i decided to add 2 tablespoons of butter instead. frances told me they all preferred bittersweet chocolate so instead of using 1 cup of semi-sweet chips and 1 cup of milk chips called for in the recipe we used 2 cups of bittersweet chocolate chips.

we decided to start off with the chocolate chip cookie batter as it’s easier to shape after chilling so while it was chilling we could whip up the fudge.

it was great fun for all of us. the kids donned their aprons, chefs hats and potholders i had sent them 2 years ago, got up on their step stools, and were most adept at exchanging turns for every step of the process.

i wasn’t expecting to like the fudge because i’ve always found it to be too sweet and grainy but i have to say this fudge recipe, in all its simplicity, was absolutely fabulous. we all loved it so much it will be sure to become part of a family tradition.

Butter an 8 x 8 inch pan and line it with a piece of waxed paper

In the top of a double boiler, combine 2 cups of chocolate chips, preferably bittersweet, a 12 ounce can (1-1/4 cups) sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.

Set it over simmering water and heat, stirring often, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top so that it is even. Place it in the frig and allow it to chill and set for at least 2 hours.

cut the fudge into 1 inch squares and then keep it covered with plastic wrap.

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Hi Rose,

I am an experienced home cook (actually a "foodie"), but not a baker, who is finally ready to tackle yeast breads. Over the years I have avoided yeast breads due to lack of time and patience. Truth be told, yeast dough intimidates me! I have purchased a new Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer (5 quart). I've also armed myself with your recent book, "The Bread Bible" and am ready to venture into the area of dough using starters or bigas.

However, I do have one initial concern and that has to do with the speed at which the dough is mixed. On page 50 in your book, you recommend using speed #4 on a Kitchen Aid for kneading dough (speed #2 if a stiff dough). The instruction manual which came with my KA mixer states in several places NOT to go beyond speed #2 when mixing yeast dough's.

So my question is: With your vast experience, is it possible to indeed mix yeast dough at speed #4 or should I follow the instruction manual and never exceed speed #2? Secondly, what qualifies a "stiff dough"? Kitchen Aid doesn't seem to qualify, i.e., the manual offers the caveat for mixing "yeast dough" in general not to exceed speed #2.

I've read your book through, now I look forward to using it as intended. I've also enjoyed your PBS series in its entirety, "Baking Magic with Rose Levy Beranbaum". You are, indeed, a wonderful instructor and a great source of inspiration. I hope to make beautiful baguettes with your help. Thanks for all you do.

Sincerely,
Penny

dear penny,
this is a very important question that several people have asked since the book first cake out. It is my understanding (and practice) that kitchen aid recommends no higher than speed #2 because if the dough is stiff it wil, over time,l wear out the motor. for many doughs, however, using speed #2 would require extremely long beating in order to develop the gluten adequately—maybe as long as 20 minutes, during which you should never walk away from the mixer as it could fall off the counter. I think it is necessary to trust one’s judgement here. a bagel, for example, is a dry, stiff dough, and if you used a high speed you would actually hear the motor straining. if ever you hear this sound you will recognize it and should immediately lower the speed.

I hope you enjoy your adventures in bread baking. as I’m working on a new cake book, I am enjoying baking cakes but sneak in an occasional bread just because I love making it so much.

best baking,
rose

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Jane Question:
Wnen using parchment paper for cookies, do I grease the paper if the recipe says to grease pan, and must I change the paper each time that I bake another batch of the same cookie?

Rose Reply:
no need to grease the parchment but it is a good idea to change it between batches as it will start to turn brown and fall apart. also residue or tiny bits of the cookie dough will start to burn and get into the new batch.

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Barb Question:
Gold Medal, all purpose, pre-sifted. When I bake chocolate chip cookies, there is sometimes a difference in texture and I wondered if I measured the flour by weight instead of dry measure, I could achieve a more consistent result.

Rose Reply:
Yes—there is no doubt about it. weighing gives more consistent results. but there are other factors involved, for example, if it is warmer in the room or the cookies dough is softer when baked they will be flatter and crisper. depending on your preference, you could chill the cookies until firm before putting them in the oven.

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Sue Question:
I have a question. My recipe calls for a 12 cup bundt pan. I have not been able to locate one. In addition the size is not given in cups, they are given in inches, so I bought one that says 9-1/2 inches. How does 12 cups equate to 9-1/2 inches? Will my recipe turn out using this size pan?

Rose Reply:
for the future, the best way to know pan size is to use a liquid measure to pour water into it. if it’s a two-piece pan line it first with a plastic bag such as a garbage bag.

i can tell you that by june, nordicware will be reissuing the famous 12 cup bundt pan. your 9-1/2 inch pan is almost certainly 10 cup capacity.

a good rule of thumb is to fill it no more than two-thirds full. but i sometimes fill it as much as 1-1/2 inch from the top and then it domes above the center tube while baking.

you will have extra batter using the smaller pan so use it to bake cupcakes.

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Altaf Question:
I've tried your lemon poppyseed pound cake recipe. They are delicious, my family loved them.

My question is: the mixing methoed you used is strange to me ( To mix the dry ingredients then add the add butter,liqiude.

Can you please explaine the name of that method why did you choose it?

Rose Reply:
i appreciate your asking this! the lemon poppyseed is my signature cake. the method of mixing i use for all my cakes in which butter is softened as opposed to melted as in genoise or oil cakes as in chiffon, is called the two-stage method in the cake baking industry. it had always been used only with high-ratio shortening but my claim to fame is that i worked out a way to use it with butter. this method results in a cake that is faster and easier to make and is more even and tender in texture. there is no disadvantage to using this method but it is important that the butter be cool room temperature (65 to 75 degrees F.) tbe best description is cool but squishable.

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June Question:
would like to know the differences between Dutch processed and regular unsweetened cocoa powder?
thank you

Rose Reply:
Dutch processed cocoa has been treated with an alkali to neutralize some of the acidity of the cocoa and give it an attractive reddish color.

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Rosalie Question:
I have a piece of fresh ginger and would like to store it for awhile. Seem to me I read that one can put it in sherry, maybe, or water - I can't remember. Do you know? Thank you in advance for your reply.

Rose Reply:
i hate to tell you how old my ginger in sherry is—maybe 15 years!!! and it’s still fine. i’ve stored it in the frig. but these days i simply freeze any left-over. it freezes very well.

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Linda Question:
Wanting to make raisin pies early for Christmas and not sure if they will freeze. Can you help as I hate to waste anything.

Rose Reply:
hope this reaches you in time but at least you’ll know for the future: you can freeze unbaked pies and add about 20 minutes to the baking time depending on how deep the filling is. it’s actually an advantage because the bottom crust starts baking before the filling thaws giving it a chance to get crisp and brown.

i wouldn’t freeze a baked pie because the dough loses much of its charm and all that remains is the filling and calories!

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Mark Question:
Your Pie and Pastry Bible is my absolute favorite cookbook - quite thorough! I had a problem with the Boulders Tart that I was hoping you could help with. I couldn't get a caramel to form by simply adding the sugar and corn syrup. There simply wasn't enough liquid. I added water to accommodate and it worked fine, but I'm wondering what I'm missing. Thanks again for a wonderful resource!
Best, Mark

Rose Reply:
caramel is made by evaporating the water from the sugar. the more the water evaporates, the higher the temperature of the syrup aned ultimately the deeper the color of the caramel. i like to add a little extra water in the form of corn syrup or water to start the process of melting the sugar more evenly. the cornsyrup also helps to prevent crystallization. if you add extra water it will just take longer for the sugar to start caramelizing but if it works better for you that’s fine.

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why i believe in real baking, i.e. baking from scratch as opposed to a mix

i suspect that the two main reasons people bake from a mix is 1) that they think it’s faster and easier and 2) it’s practically foolproof. there may even be some who grew up with the flavor of a mix and actually prefer it.

i grew up without a cake baking tradition, in fact, my grandmother used the oven only to store pots and pans. there was NEVER anything baked in that oven until I went to the university of vermont, took a course in basic food, and came home thanksgiving vacation with the intention of making my father’s favorite—a cherry pie. it was a disaster of melting bubbling soap that I hadn’t realized was stored in the broiler beneath. in short, i learned scratch cake baking on my own—from scratch.

it’s o.k. to prefer cake mixes if you really do prefer them. my take on the mixes is that since they contain emulsifiers which give them what is known in the industry as tolerance, i.e., the ability to keep their texture despite additions of various extra ingredients, these emulsifiers result in an unpleasantly metallic after-taste. to my palate, the flavor of a cake baked from scratch is incomparably superior. and making a cake from scratch takes maybe 10 minutes more prep time than one from a mix. but as far as the foolproof aspect, let me tell you how to achieve that in a scratch cake.

there are only two important things to know:

1) use cake flour or bleached all-purpose flour. if you use a scale, the weight is the same. if you are using cup measures, and you have all-purpose bleached flour, for every cup of cake flour use 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose. if you want the cake to be as tender as one with cake flour, use 3/4 cup of all-purpose and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. the all-purpose flour i use is gold medal, but if you happen to have a southern or regional brand the protein content may be as low as cake flour so you will not want to add the cornstarch as it may weaken the cake’s structure and cause it to collapse.

the reason that it is essential to use bleached flour is that unbleached has particles that are smooth and round and the butter slips right through them and lands in a gummy layer at the bottom, causing the cake to fall in the center while cooling. the bleaching process, however, roughens these flour particles enabling them to hold the butter in even suspension.

if you measure the flour instead of weighing it, use a measuring cup with unbroken rim. place it on a counter and use a sifter or strainer to fill it with flour, allowing it to mound over the top. use a long metal spatula or knife to run it over the rim, thus removing any excess flour. never lift the cup or shake it during measuring as this packs more flour into the cup which would result in a denser drier cake.

that’s all you need to know about flour for cakes and it’s really quite simple.

2) have the butter softened but cool, i.e. it feels cool to the touch but when you press it with your finger it will flatten. this is a wide range of temperature, between 65 and 75 degrees. most kitchens are warmer than 75 degrees so to be on the safe side you can let the butter soften in a cooler room. if the butter is too cold or too warm the cake’s texture (crumb) will not be even.

here is my favorite of all my yellow cake recipes. it’s the right amount for a standard 9 inch by 2 1/2 inch springform pan but if you have only a 9 x 2 inch pan, just be sure to fill it only half full and bake the remaining batter as 2 cup cakes. (15 to 20 minutes)

if you still prefer your favorite mix, you have my full permission to use it, but not if the only reason is that you don’t trust a "real" cake!

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Gale Question:
I have used your Jewish Rye Bread recipe many, many times and everyone loves it. One question I have--no matter how long I let it rise, it tends to only rise to 3" and tends to spread to 8". How can I get a bread that is smaller in diameter and rises to the 3 and 1/2" that is indicated in your recipe?

Rose Reply:
thanks--it's one of my favorite breads and i've been making it for many years. there is a mistake on the recipe--in step 2 i say to add the rye flour but there is no more rye flour to be added. are you getting the same weight of finished dough that i indicate? if you are not weighing you may be getting a different amount of flour and liquid which could affect the rise. but if it is very smooth and elastic and your bread flour is under a year old you should get the same results i do.

i wrote on the recipe that my finished loaf is 7-3/4 inches by 4 inches high. if yours is spreading 1/4 inch more that is hardly significant. but the 1 inch less in height is. it could be you are not getting enough oven spring. are you preheating the oven and baking stone for at least 45 minutes? are you steaming the oven? all this helps a great deal to get the maximum rise!

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of all the substances, liquid and solid, that pass through the portals of my lips, coffee is the most sacred, i.e. the last one i willingly would relinquish. the funny thing is i’m not even affected by caffeine. i can drink a cup of coffee and go straight to sleep. so i don’t consider my love of coffee an addiction but rather a passion.

it started when i was only 3 years old and went shopping with my grandmother. in those days supermarkets ground the coffee beans right at the checkout counter so even if she wasn’t buying coffee that day someone was and i was guaranteed a whiff of the most delicious aroma i had every experienced. i wasn’t allowed to drink coffee at that age except for a rare exception was when my mother would pour a little milk into the tiny cream pitchers used in those days to hold the top cream from unhomoginized milk. then, to my great joy, she would add a half eye- dropper full of freshly brewed coffee. bliss. i also loved watching and smelling the coffee percolating in the aluminum pot on the stove top.

i started drinking coffee when i went away to college. but it was a bit of a disappointment because after all those years of expectation, the delicious aroma i had smelled was never present fully in the flavor. the mystery was revealed one day in a food course when the professor talked about the concept of volatile oils. she explained that the coffee aromas were carried in the oils of the coffee bean and that what i was smelling was these wonderful aromas that were virtually flying away from the brewing coffee and disappearing into the air. in fact, she said that percolating coffee was the worst possible thing one could do because more and more aromas were evaporating while the coffee was passing through the grounds repeatedly extracting bitterness. it was as if a light-bulb went off in my head. from that moment it became my goal to find a way to keep the precious aroma IN the coffee.

to this effect i went through many coffee pots during my first marriage. when i discovered the melitta little porcelain drip pot i knew this would be the closest thing to perfection but my former husband told me that though he had been planning to give it to me for christmas that year, somehow he couldn’t bring himself to do it because he felt it was just too “sick.” o.k. i had already tried to no avail an aluminum drip pot, an electric percolator and even an electric vacuum coffee maker that sounded like 12 snoring dogs. but i wasn’t willing to give up so why was he?

right after the divorce i bought the melitta. and i had been right—the drip system and non-reactive porcelain was as close to perfection as i had hoped. but the real epiphany happened many years later when i celebrated my birthday dinner with my present husband (now of 30 years--he knew better than to interfere with my quests for perfection) at one of tony may’s wonderful restaurants. at the end of the dinner i ordered espresso and it was the best coffee i had ever tasted. in fact it had the very flavor of the aroma never forgotten from childhood. fortunately tony may was present that night and explained about a new coffee system he had brought back from italy called illy. he explained that the coffee was in individual capsules and therefore never exposed to air or oxygen that would cause deterioration until the very moment it was placed in the coffee maker.

i didn’t know at that moment that my love for this coffee would, many years later, transport me (my photo) onto the wall of the new illy galleria located at 382 west broadway in soho, nyc, and that my recipe for illy café panna cotta would have the honor of being served there during the duration of this special educational theater/café. (www.illyusa.com/galleria)

panna cotta is a custard thickened with a little gelatin rather than the usual egg. i suggested serving it in the exquisite illy espresso cup collection, garnished with a coffee bean. this 5 ingredient dessert is the soul of simplicity, easy to make, yet one of the most deliciously satisfying desserts in the world. it is like eating ice cream that isn’t frozen yet holds its perfectly creamy consistency. excellence of flavor depends entirely on the quality of the coffee used to prepare it.

here’s the recipe in case you don’t get a chance to visit the galleria, or in case you want to make it part of your own permanent collection.

serves: 6 to 9

2 1/4 cups heavy cream
7 tablespoons (3 ounces/85 grams) sugar, preferably turbinado
1/4 cup (0.75 ounces/20 grams) finely ground illy coffee
1-1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin (4.7 grams)
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
garnish: chocolate coffee beans

9--2 ounce demitasse or 6 small decorative dessert or custard cups
in a 4 cup microwave-safe measure or small saucepan, stir together the cream, sugar, and coffee. sprinkle gelatin on top and allow to sit for at least 3 minutes. stir in gelatin and microwave or heat, stirring constantly, just until bubbles form around edge. pour liquid through fine strainer or strainer lined with cheesecloth. stir in vanilla and pour into espresso cups. cover tightly and chill until set, at least 2 hours. garnish with coffee beans or chocolate coffee beans.

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Linda Question:
What is the conversion factor for substituting dry yeast for compressed yeast. Yeast cakes are getting harder to find in the supermarket. Thanks!

Rose Reply:
for those of you who have "the bread bible" the yeast conversion is on page 562

to convert cake yeast to instant yeast, for 1 packed tablespoon cake yeast use 2 teaspoons instant yeast or 2-1/2 teaspoons active dry

instant yeast can be added directly to the flour without proofing. it is available nationally under the following names:

fleischmann's bread machine yeast or rapid rise
red star's quickrise
red star's instant active dry
SAF instant
SAF gourmet perfect rise

i store the unused yeast in an airtight container in the freezer where it stays fresh for as long as 2 years. (if it's a large quantity i store about 2 tablespoons of it separately so that the larger amount doesn't get subjected to oxygen and deteriorate more quickly.

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I’m pleased to announce my association with Harold Import Company. Harold Import is distributing my new line called Rose Levy Bakeware™.

Rose Levy Bakeware™ represents my vision for the ideal bakeware that has been brewing in my imagination for years. I’m proud to offer these new design concepts for you to enjoy in your home.
Rose’s Perfect Pie Plate is the first product to be developed and I am very proud of it. It has my favorite pie crust recipe permanently decorated into the plate, and has a deeply scalloped border which effortlessly creates a beautiful crimped crust. Also available is Rose's Sweetheart Crème Brûlée Set. Both are packaged with my recipe booklets.

If you are a member of the trade, please contact Harold Import. If you are a consumer, look for Rose Levy Bakeware™ at fine kitchen and gourmet food stores near you. It is also available on line at CyberPantry.com, Fantes.com, and LaPrimaShops.com

I am also delighted to announce my association with Lékué Silicone pans and bakeware from Spain, also distributed by Harold Import Company.

Please click to download a PDF booklet about silicone bakeware. It's about 2.5 MB.

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Here are a list of Rose's Books:

The Cake Bible

The Bread Bible

Rose's Christmas Cookies

The Pie and Pastry Bible

There are many more: See the rest of Rose's books. You will be taken to Amazon where you can search for and buy any of Rose's books.

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Patricia Question:
How do you make creme fraiche?

Rose Reply:
it’s really easy if you can find cream that has not been ultra-pasteurized which heats it to a much higher temperature than for pastuerized cream. pasteurized cream thickens much more quickly.

pour 1 cup of heavy cream into a canning jar with tight fitting lid. add i tablespoon of buttermilk. set it in a warm spot, such as over the frig, or near a warm cooktop, and try not to be like me who visits it frequently with anxious glances. let it sit undisturbed for 12 to 14 hours or until thickened but still pourable. ultra-pasteurized cream may take as long as 36 hours.

for a speedy crème fraîche that is a little less tangy but still delicious: combine 1-1/2 cups heavy cream and 1/2 cup sour cream.

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Rose has been called the “Diva of Desserts" and “the most meticulous cook who ever lived." And add this recent accolade — “If ever there was a cookbook author who could place her hands on top of yours, putting you through the proper motions, helping you arrive at just the right touch, Beranbaum is the one."

Rose’s first book, The Cake Bible, was the 1988 winner of the IACP/Seagram Book of the Year and the NASFT Showcase Award for the cookbook that has contributed most to educating the consumer about specialty foods. A culinary best-seller, The Cake Bible is currently in its 42nd printing.

Rose’s Christmas Cookies, was the 1990 winner of the James Beard Best Book in the Dessert and Baking Category. The Pie and Pastry Bible, published in 1998, received many kudos including: Food & Wine Books “Best of the Best: The Best Recipes from the Best Cookbooks of the Year" and Coffee & Cuisine “Best Cookbook" award.

Rose's comprehensive book, The Bread Bible, was the 2003 winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in the Best Bread Book Category. It was listed by Publisher's Weekly and Food & Wine as one of the top ten books of 2003, and by Fine Cooking as one of the top 12. From quick breads, such as muffins, biscuits, and scones, to yeast breads, such as seeded wheat breads, Jewish rye, baguette, and brioche, this is a collection of her favorites, with innovative techniques that will guarantee making a successful bread baker of anyone who so desires.

Rose's newest book, Rose's Heavenly Cakes, is a return to cakes with a comprehensive four color book for Pam Chirls, Senior Editor at Wiley. She also has a product line, Rose Levy Bakeware, and has produced Rose's Heavenly Cake Strip, a silicone halo that produces more even layer cakes, both distributed by Harold Imports.

A luminary in the world of food writing, Rose is a Contributing Editor to Food Arts Magazine where “Rose’s Sugar Bible" (April 2000) received two prestigious awards: The Association of Food Journalists Award for the Best Food Feature in a Magazine and The Jacob’s Creek World Food Award for Best Food Article. She is also a contributor to The Washington Post, Fine Cooking, Bride's, Reader's Digest, and Hemispheres. Rose has been inducted into the James Beard Foundation/D'Artagnon Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.

An internationally known food expert, Rose also has been a featured presenter in the highly regarded Melbourne Food & Wine Festival and the Oxford Food Symposium.

Rose is a popular guest on major television shows (The Today Show, The Early Show, Martha Stewart, Charlie Rose, The Food Network, and PBS: Master Classes of Johnson & Wales, and Seasonings with Dede Wilson). Rose has taped 13 episodes for a public television cooking series called Baking Magic with Rose Levy Beranbaum. The series started in 2004 on PBS stations across the country and will continue for three years.

Here are some photos of Rose for your use. Click on each to download a high resolution JPG file (these files are quite large!).

Please credit all photos to Ben Fink.

Rose Levy Beranbaum’s nine books include:

Rose's Heavenly Cakes (2009)
The Bread Bible (2003)
The Pie and Pastry Bible (1998)
Rose’s Melting Pot (1993)
Rose’s Celebrations (1992)
Rose’s Christmas Cookies (1990)
A Passion for Chocolate (1989)
The Cake Bible (1988)
Romantic & Classic Cakes (1981)

Rose’s blog is:www.realbakingwithrose.com
There is a new "Bake Along" on www.heavenlycakeplace.blogspot.com

QUOTES
There has been lots of publicity about Rose Levy Beranbaum and her books, her techniques and her approach to food. The following is just a sampling.

ROSE'S HEAVENLY CAKES:

From Publishers Weekly
"Beranbaum, specialist of baked goods that make people's eyes light up, tops her renowned The Cake Bible with an updated, modern collection of delicious confections. Bakers who have already dog-eared every page of that earlier book need not worry: this is far from a duplicate, with only the occasional repeat or adaptation. The recipes range from towering creations for weddings and other special events to baby cakes for bite-size indulgence, and from the simplest apple upside-down cake and yellow butter cupcakes to the elegant rose-shaped genoise and the stunning holiday pinecone cake. Beranbaum goes into great detail in her recipe instructions, yet still manages to keep the lengthy guidelines friendly, accessible and unintimidating, whether she is describing how to make a whipped ganache topping or beurre noisette, an integral part of her delicate array of financiers. Chocolate, fruit, cream, spun sugar: Beranbaum enlists the best ingredients (which she reviews in a helpful glossary) to create knockout cakes, and with her patient, meticulous description of the measurements and process, anyone with a good mixer and spatula, some time and determination will be able to turn out impressive sweet sensations." (Sept. 09)

From Amazon Customer Reviews

"Rose Levy-Beranbaum has outdone herself in her latest offering of baking excellence! Where her "Cake Bible" was a standard for many years, this has outdone even that book!"
Toni “the book worm”

"To compare this book to the author's authoritative tome, The Cake Bible, I would say it is more approachable, more user-friendly, and much more beautiful."
Julie

Rose Levy Beranbaum has again exerted herself in creating a trustworthy book on cakes. It is no wonder that her first cake book 'The Cake Bible' is still in print.
C. Terzis

"Rose is not only gifted in her art, but she works with a true love that comes through in her books! Absolutely a pleasure of a book!"
Manana

"She has a skill and craft that not even the best pastry chefs can compare to. She writes for you to learn. She writes for you to explore the world of baking in a way that no other person can explore it the way that you do. She writes so that you can go on a special culinary journey one page at time. From chocolate, to lemon, to cheesecake, Rose Levy Beranbaum's book is a craft written like no other. She is a teacher, an author, and above all a culinary master there for all who need her to teach us all the tricks of the trade and master it as well as she does."
F.A. 1234

"I cannot believe how good this book is. I wish there were more than 5 stars.
Once again Rose has produced an authoritative yet fun book that is beautiful in every sense and that is just as suited to the novice as to the expert. ..Check out Rose's videos on youtube, which show her preparing these and earlier recipes. The fact that she posts her work for others to learn from for free is all you need to know about Rose. She is passionate about baking and sharing her knowledge and love of cakes, not about becoming a rich "celebrity" cook."
Anastasia

"Joy for high altitude bakers like me, since Ms. Beranbaum suggests tube or bundt pans for many recipes, which cook cakes more evenly at high altitude. (She also uses a wide assortment of lovely special-shape pans, but always suggests common alternatives that most bakers would have on hand.) Gorgeous photos of nearly every cake. Detailed, precise (not fussy) instructions -- a trademark for Ms. B. And the best layout of measurements: volume (cups, teaspoons etc.), and weight (ounces AND grams). I've made many of the recipes already, with great results. I've used a bazillion baking books over the years. This one is a treasure."
J.S. Sterling

THE BREAD BIBLE:

"...the one definitive bread book you'll ever need."
-the Good Cook

"For Lovers of Bread, Here's a Slice of Heaven"
-USA Today

Baking Books: "Whenever she's in the running, Rose Levy Beranbaum leads the pack. The Bread Bible offers due diligence for many things that bakers take for granted... "
-The Boston Globe

"A more information-rich recipe book is hard to imagine."
-Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Beranbaum leaves absolutely nothing to guesswork. If that kind of inclusiveness doesn't take the fear out of baking, nothing will."
-San Francisco Chronicle

"The Bread Bible is a tremendous treatise on bread...No stone is unturned, no bread is unaddressed, no baker's secret withheld - this is indeed a perfectly grand and thoroughly beautiful book on our favorite subject by a dear and diligent baker and daughter of science...One of the most comprehensive cookbooks out there."
-BetterBaking.Com

"...if you only bake one thing in your life, make it the potato flatbread pizza. It's a revelation...at once crispy, chewy, flavorful, and perfect."
-Seattle Weekly

"Beranbaum's bibles are resilient. In her signature style, she breaks down the mysteries of baking breads so cooks understand the building blocks."
-Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Like her others, the bread book will take you as far as you want to go. If you really just want to follow a recipe, you'll get no better or more detailed instructions. Follow them and you'll have success."
-The Atlanta Journal Constitution

"Well-organized information, instructions illustrated in line drawings, varied recipes and handsome color photos of finished breads make this a solid, easy-to-use reference and cook's companion."
-Indianapolis Star

HER OTHER BOOKS:

“Rose Levy Beranbaum is a worshiped woman. The author of the best-selling The Cake Bible is revered by serious cooks and part-timers who turn to her in moments of desperation."
-USA TODAY

“If ever there was a cookbook author who could place her hands on top of yours, putting you through the proper motions, helping you arrive at just the right touch, Beranbaum is the one."
-The New York Times

"Another masterpiece from America's most obsessive cook-book writer."
-Los Angeles Times

"One of the great bakers of our time provides master class instruction on practical baking-a lot more than recipes."
-Manhattan Users Guide

"Baking pies is hard work, but the hardest job here is deciding which amazing pie to bake first. Rose Levy Beranbaum, who previously wrote The Cake. Bible, brings missionary zeal to her task of revealing the secrets of great pies."
-People Magazine

""She's obsessed. There's really no other way to describe cookbook author Rose Levy Beranbaum and her fixation with the minutiae of baking. If God is in the details, as the aphorism goes, then Beranbaum must have one foot in heaven. For Rose Levy Beranbaum, no detail escapes the pursuit of perfection. She's the Diva of Desserts."
-The Washington Post

"'Rose Levy Beranbaum is a national culinary treasure."
-The Star-Ledger

"I have been visited by a pie priestess-Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of the newly released "Pie and Pastry Bible". And I have seen the light, or rather tasted the light and flaky pie crust made by my very own hands following Beranbaum's commandments."
-The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Ms. Beranbaum may be the most meticulous cook who ever lived."
-The New York Times "

"0 Heavenly Pie: Rose Beranbaum-aka The Queen of Tarts-explores pies, tarts, and every other pastry under the sun, savory as well as sweet."
-Traditional Home

"The knead for love: Rose Levy Beranbaum gets a warm and floury feeling from pastry in all its guises, and judging by her book sales, so do many of the rest of us."
-Toronto National Post

"...One cannot help but be impressed by Beranbaum's thoroughness and depth of knowledge. ...anyone who takes baking seriously ought to buy this book."
- Cook's Illustrated

"My mom routinely makes excellent pies in a few short hours. I'm not my mom, though. So assuming I've got several hours to spare I am willing to study directions carefully and really want to impress someone with a dessert, I'd turn to The Pie and Pastry Bible. "
-Time Out New York

“DEAR ROSE"
Fans of Rose range from rank beginners to famous names. Fans rejoice in her accomplishments, and their own, in a very special way. Here’s a sampling:

"I cannot believe how great the recipes from your book are. I am baking bread with the flavor and texture I didn't think was possible to create at home. I feel like I have wasted years of my life settling for second-rate bread.
-Adam C., e-mail

I just couldn't resist sharing the success experience I had today with the "Butter Dipped Dinner Rolls" recipe in The Bread Bible. I'm almost a little sorry to have learned how simple it is to make such fabulous rolls. They're irresistible! (I'd say 'better than store-bought' but somehow that just doesn't aim quite high enough.)
Anna L., e-mail

“Thanks for making a fun hobby truly rewarding. You are a delight for all of us ‘passionate amateurs’ who are rewarded by your insights."
-Mark C., Chicago

Congratulations on the publication of your book, The Cake Bible. After tasting your cake, I’m proud to have it named the Chocolate Domingo Cake. Bravo!
-Placido D., New York

“Sincere congratulations on your ‘understanding’ sections. A real plus over other books---particularly for beginners like me."
-Ray F., Northumberland

“Your Cake Bible is so well written with all the details to make it valuable which is absolutely necessary now. You have made your exciting Cake Bible as we, Julia Child and myself have made 27 years ago. With much enthusiasm and many congratulations."
-Simca B., France

“Thanks to you I’ve become a confirmed ‘fancy’ baker. I’ve become accustomed to the style in which you write recipes (I think a high school fear of chemistry class is what got to me at first) and actually find it a great help having both the detailed instructions and the theory behind the chemistry and physics of it all."
-Mary B.L., Rhode Island

“In my experience, truly great teachers are great because of their sensitivity to and love for others. Your warmth and openness comes through in your books. Thank you so much for the gift of your books and for the new world they have opened for me."
-Rosary I., New York

“To paraphrase a famous saying---you can have my Pie and Pastry Bible when you pry it from my cold dead fingers!"
-Al P., Idaho

“I made my first pie ever and it turned out perfect! I didn’t expect it to turn out at all since I’m an inexperienced baker. It’s definitely a book worth having in your cookbook collection."
-Mindy M.W., Oregon

“The aptly named bible was a revelation, and the cream cheese crust that you call the soul of your book was alone worth the price of the book."
-Anne D., Maryland

“I could go on and on about the merits of The Pie and Pastry Bible. Although I wish no one else would read it so that I could be the only person in the world (besides yourself) who can make marvelous crusts. I cannot help thinking this is a book that should not be kept a secret."
-Stephanie J., Indiana

“I have devoured this book. I have truly enjoyed reading it. If you enjoy the ‘Why?’ behind baking you will love this book."
-Susan M., Tennessee

“The Cake Bible is the most reliable cookbook I have ever encountered. When you are baking a cake it is so important to be able to trust the recipe. Rose’s recipes are clear and easy to follow. The methods are fun and innovative and the results are consistently delicious."
-Katie J., Michigan

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Caitlin Question:
I'm having such trouble with gingersnaps and I hope you can help! My goal is a cookie that can last longer than one day while still being "snappy" and still tender to the bite. I can't seem to find the balance between chewy and tooth-breaking!

I've tried increasing baking powder, I've fussed with bake times, stored in sealed bags, I've thrown in desiccant to see what would happen, but still am unhappy with my results.

Rose Reply:
i've never actually made gingersnaps but in my book "rose's christmas cookies" i have both gingerbread for building gingerbread houses and gingerbread for gingerbread people! the difference is that in the people one i use egg, more butter and more brown sugar, all of which makes it more tender though still crisp. if you roll them thicker--say 1/4", they will be more soft, chewy and pudgy!

also be sure to underbake them slightly as on cooling they will firm up but still remain a little soft. these cookies keep for several months but of course become less soft with time.

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Mark Question:
Rose, My wife has faithfully backed your chocolate dipped melting moment cookies for years. Last and this year her cookies literally melted on the cookie sheets. The cookie sheets are now professional grade, (so that isn't it). The oven has been calibrated. (so that's not it). She uses LOL butter unsalted. And watches them. What do you think is the reason? My mouth and stomach await your answer.

Thanks, Mark

Rose Reply:
yes—melting moments are supposed to melt in your mouth not on your cookie sheets! you say the cookie sheets are NOW professional grade so maybe that’s the reason. heavier cookie sheets bake more evenly but will probably take a little longer to heat up which means the dough can spread more before setting. it would help to set the shaped cookie on parchment on a baking sheet with one open side and then slide it off onto a room temperature or heated baking sheet before placing it right in the oven. this technique helps all difficult cookies to keep their shape especially useful when doing cut out christmas cookies.

a good thing for everyone to keep in mind is that when things that worked for years suddenly stop, it helps to think really hard what thing or things have changed. even something small may be the culprit. sometimes the flour has a different protein content which will also have an effect on baked goods but in your case i don’t think that’s it. and don’t trust professional calibration 100%. if the things you’re used to baking suddenly take more or less time you know the oven’s off!

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Margaret Question:
Help! I have made excellent lemon meringue pies (no, I don't have your pie bible...just the cake book) and yesterday I made a double recipe for my son's 42nd. And it was much to sweet and did not set properly even though I am sure I used the right amount of cornstarch plus flour and cooked over boiling water for at least 20 minutes. Could I have overcooked it? The order lemon juice is added to the egg yolks is different in different recipes. Is there a physical / chemical reaction that could have impacted it's "set-up"? I was abit embarrassed as I am known as a good cook and baker. The meringue was fine and has not "wept" even after 24 hoursl.

Rose Reply:
lemon meringue is in the top 3 of my favorite pies. i hope it helps to know that the same thing happened to me when i was showing off my new pie plate to my cousins about 6 months ago! this is the first time in many years that this has happened and on thinking about it i realized that a double boiler is NOT a good idea bc cornstarch will not thicken completely until it reaches a boil and a double boiler prevents it from reaching this temperature. i suspect that bc you doubled the recipe and used the double boiler it did not get hot enough. also the lemon juice is best added AFTER thickening as the acidity can prevent the cornstarch from doing it's job!

if egg yolks don't reach a temperature of over 140 degrees F the thickening they provide actually reverses itself due to the enzyme amylase in the yolk which attacks the starch unless it's deactivated by adequate heat. whew! make it again soon so you won't be left with a sense of failure. it happens to everyone.

baking can be full of surprises. but mostly happy ones!

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Kathy Question:
I welcome the coming of your baking web site, and would like to ask that you include a section which leads us to quality sources for some of the ingredients needed for the recipes. My plight (lack of supplies) is becoming more critical as the winter holidays come closer - I would like to make cookies which require a substantial amount of whole unblanched almonds (I want to grind my own) but the local stores - including Whole Foods and Balducci's) only carry small bags of slivered nuts. This problem is endemic across the board - it's hard to find good ripe peaches for pies, good ground (not canned) poppy seed etc etc. - AS IF the processed varieties, when available, are just as good.

NO! Only someone who does not have a good gustatory memory would ever believe that canned poppy seed, canned almond paste are as good as the products you would make for yourself. For example, when I grind my own almonds, I can taste the whole almond and see that it is plump and not dried out. It begs the imagination to believe that whoever makes the canned product takes care to be sure the raw ingredients are really prime.

Enough! Please include sources, where we can buy items like nuts and figs and prunes, top quality, in bulk, for a reasonable price.

Rose Reply:
you’re right! quality of ingredients is why sets professional bakers (and chefs) apart from home bakers. they often have access to the best. more and more places are selling to home bakers but they usually sell in large quantities.

penzey’s is a great source for spices and poppyseeds. i would never buy them ground, however, as they get rancid so fast that way. even whole, i store them in the freezer.

i list several good sources in the bread bible and of course the web is often my source for researching where to find special ingredients.

please also check out chefshop.com, and also, here’s an article i did for Food Arts Magazine on my greatest formerly secret sources!

SOS Chefs:
Running short on Tahitian vanilla beans, or powdered gold, or fresh porcini? Want Sicilian or Iranian pistachios? SOS to the rescue. If you’re in New York, visit the small but impeccably organized store at 104 Avenue B in Manhattan, or they’ll deliver same day. If you’re out of the city they’ll Fed Ex.
Owner Atef Boulaabi worked for another distributor for 6 years. In 1996 she decided to “make a big adventure,” going out on her own. From an inventory of 2000 ingredients, she distilled the top quality 200 to carry in her store. Passionately devoted to acquiring the best of the best, chefs count on her and adore her.

SOS: www.sos-chefs.net 212-505-5813

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i found this photo of me as a little girl, taken back stage at city center after a performance of george ballanchine's "the nutcracker suite." it was the second annual performance of the ballet which is still performed at christmas time every year. i am ever grateful to my mother for having enrolled me in ballanchine's school of american ballet, which gave me the possibility of being in the nutcracker--the experience of being on stage in a magical performance no child would ever forget, either from on or off stage.

after each performance, my mother would take me to the schrafts around the corner from the ballet and i got to choose between a hamburger or an ice cream sundae. i was a disinterested eater in those days and my mother was delighted that i enjoyed these treats with such unaccustomed relish. but the delicious post performance celebration stopped abruptly after my soldier's costume starting getting too tight! ballanchine had one iron-clad rule aside from being able to dance in an acceptable fashion: if you could find a costume that fit, you were in. conversely......

in those days he was married to the beautiful prima ballerina tanaguil le clerk who tragically had just been stricken with polio.

i will always remember living for this brief moment of my young life in the rarified world of ballet.

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Allison Question:
Hello Rose,

I am a novice baker who's been turning out fabulous cakes thanks to your Cake Bible.

I have,however, had trouble locating magic strips for my cake pans, and was advised to try a silicon pan to achieve an even layer. What is your experience with silicon cake pans?

Thank you,

Rose Reply:
i am so entranced by silicone that i now represent (am spokesperson for) Lékué silicone of spain. the cake layer is not quite as high but it is more even and interestingly it has a more even, lighter, and i think much improved texture.

Read about my association with Lékué Silicone pans and bakeware from Spain.

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Kim Question:
I have a rather perplexing problem. Every time I make a cake with a streusel topping, the topping ends up sinking inside the cake, rather than sitting on top as it's supposed to. I'm beginning to think that my oven is cursed. I find it very hard to believe that every recipe I've tried is flawed, and I know that the batters were prepared correctly... Any ideas what could be causing this? Thanks for any help you can give me,

Rose Reply:
i had this happen when filming a t.v. show. the prep person made my streusel or crumb topped coffee cake and when i saw it there was NO crumb topping at all. the batter had swallowed up the entire amount. it turned out the oven was way off and the baking time was too long. the structure of the cake has to set quickly to hold the crumb topping up. my coffee cake uses sourcream which makes a more acidic batter which also helps to set the structure.

but for absolutely perfection, i now add the crumb topping after 30 minutes of baking. i lift the cake out of the oven and quickly strew the crumbs on top. then gently place it back in the oven.

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Chris Question:
Hi. I made some Amish Friendship bread, it is like a cake, but baked in small loaf pans. Every time I make it, it falls in the middle. I live at a "high" altitude, and I made the adjustments necessary, but the bread still falls. What can I do to fix this problem?

Rose Reply:
when you say you've made all the adjustments for high altitude i'm assuming you also decreased the amount of liquid. many people do the reverse bc of the dry air at high altitude but moisture in the bread results in a higher rise which then collapses bc the structure can't support it. aside from that, try using a flour with a higher protein content.

if you're using bleached all purpose use unbleached. if that doesn't do the trick try bread flour.

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we should be across the street having dinner. a colleague of my husband's actually invited us. (it is a rare event that anyone is willing to cook for me.)

i brought a cake i'm working on though he said he was making a galette. we arrived on time to find his galette sitting in a warm oven. apparently after living in ny for 3 years he had never used the oven and it only seemed to have a light, i.e. the heat was coming from a light bulb. so i insisted on bringing the galette back across the street to bake in my oven. with an american type flaky crust it would have been pointless as the warmth would have caused the butter to leak out of the dough and loose all its flakiness. but the cookie crust of a galette is not flaky to begin with so I thought it was worth the effort.

to find out how i rescued this soft pie crust set on a pan that didn't fit into my quick preheat carousel microwave/convection oven (the soft crust loaded with fresh fruit that he was threatening to stew on the stovetop), read on!

by the way, the rest of the dinner wasn't ready anyway so now i can spend the rest of the time packing for my trip to d.c. tomorrow while the galette bakes in its new home. i left the cake as hostage. (but not my special serrated knife--one can never be too careful!)

o.k. here’s what I did: giggling all the way across the street at this unorthodox baking adventure, the moment we entered our apartment, i preheated the convection oven to 400 °F. while it was preheating, with my husband elliott’s help—we needed four hands for this hair-brained endeavor-- we shoved the galette onto a round black steel pan. the side that my less experienced husband was pushing caved in slightly (radiology is one thing—pies and tarts are another) but I smooched it back into place, noticing that the fruit was piercing through it slightly. I made a foil barricade with a long piece of heavy duty foil folded over several times and secured in a circle around the outer edges of the galette with a metal paper clip. just as it was in place the preheat buzzer sounded. I placed the galette in the oven and finished packing. 40 minutes later I smelled fruit burning and rushed over to cover the top loosely with foil. 5 minutes later the fruit was perfectly baked and the crust golden. hot out of the oven, holding the galette with pot holders, we returned to our new friend’s apt. across the street. we got a few longing glances from passerbys—little did they know the true circumstances. our friend’s dinner was ready and he was more relaxed and ready to receive us as guests.

the evening, the dinner, and the galette turned out to be a total delight.

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Mary Question:
Hello.

You mention presentation wedding cakes in your book. How would I make a fake cake with a small part of real cake (used for the cake cutting ceremony)?

Thank you,
Mary

Rose Reply:
use a styrofoam cake base. cut out the section that you want to contain real cake and simply insert the cake into it. frost the entire thing but make a special little decoration or mark so that you or the person cutting will know where the real cake is living!!!

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Henna Question:
Hi Rose,
I'm working in a new bagel shop/bakery and i am in charge of the bakery department. i'm looking to introduce some new items based on recipes that i use at home. at the bakery we measure everything in pounds, ounces and quarts. how can i charge my cookie recipe that makes 24 cookies to a recipe that makes 400 cookies???

i'm stumped and i've been looking for the answer but i can't find any clue anywhere?
can you help me or can you point me in the right direction?

thanks!

Rose Reply:
i do everything in weights even for 6 cookies because it’s so much faster and easier. all you have to do is convert your smaller recipe to weights. make a batch weighing each ingredient and then multiply it. the problem you may run into is that things mix differently in larger quantities. you may have to adjust mixing time.

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Sugar, in all its wonderous forms, has been the focus of many articles over the past few years. People have expressed curiosity and a desire to try some of these sugars in their baking but are uncertain as to how to use them in place of the familiar refined granulated sugar. I wrote the following article primarily for chefs, in an attempt to demystify the subject. But I think the time has come to share it with the home baker as well.

First a tip regarding a commonly used sugar: Light brown. I store it in a canning jar where it stays soft for years, but if it should harden and lump, I make a little cup of aluminum foil, place it on top of the sugar, wet a paper towel, wringing out excess water, set it in the foil cup, and close the jar. In a matter of hours the sugar will soften as if by magic.

Whenever a recipe calls for light brown sugar I chose light Muscovado from the Island of Mauritius, off the coast of India. It is available in many specialty stores and on line at www.indiatree.com. The flavor is far more complex and delicious than ordinary light brown sugar and elevates the dessert to a higher plane.

Roses Sugar Bible published in Food Arts Magazine April 2000

Sugar, the one flavor that is pleasing to all humans and other mammals on birth, is alluring, addictive, and can be a powerful tool in the hands of the right cook.

Yes, sugar is sweet. But there’s a lot more to it than that. Sugar can offer subtle to intense overtones of butterscotch, toffee, caramel, wine, molasses, spice and even bitterness. These qualities derive from both the variety of the sugar source and from the degree and type of refinement. Knowing the different varieties and granulations of sugar and the ways in which they best perform can add considerable depth, drama and sparkle to both cooking and baking.