Humidity's Effect on Baking Ingredients
Jan 08, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
FRED QUESTION
Love your books and just discovered this blog. WOW!
I'm a firm believer in weighing everything, but flour and brown sugar bother me. Since these two ingredients absorb water, how does humidity in the air affect their performance in recipes? In other words, does, say, 1 lb. of flour weighed on a hot and humid summer day actually contain less flour (and more water) than that weighed on a cold and dry winter day? How does a person compensate for this variation other than adding a little bit of flour or water at a time (which seems rather unscientific) as one goes along?
ROSE REPLY
actually the 2 ingredients you mentioned have similar problems as they tend to dry out if improperly stored. they both benefit from airtight storage especially brown sugar that gets very hard when dry. i store mine in canning jars and never have a problem but if it comes in other containers it will dry and then you'll need to put a little foil cup in with the sugar and set a paper towel that has been dampened in the cup and then cover the container tightly. in a few hours the sugar will become soft again.
in very humid or very dry conditions the flour used for bread making will be affected but this can be controlled easily by adding a little flour or water to the dough if the consistency seems to require it. for cakes i don't find much of a difference. i do find a difference in salt that is so hygroscopic some days 1 teaspoon weighs 5.3 grams, other days it weighs 6.6 grams. but even that doesn't seem to make a noticeable difference in the baked product.
in any case, the volume of the flour or the brown sugar will be affected by humidity as well as the weight and weight is always a more accurate way to go because measuring varies from time to time by factors far more significant than humidity!
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mjfrost
04/29/2009 02:15 PM
Thanks for the suggestions but, I just need a simple regular frosting. Would Buttercreme melt fast? I have Daisies made out of fondant will those stick to the frosting or will it slide if the frosting starts to melt? I really have no idea how hot it will be.
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
04/27/2009 10:06 AM
cynthia--i LOVE hearing this. i should reread the book--who can remember all those vital details! thank you.
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
04/26/2009 08:14 PM
by the way, many people opt to rent a refrigerated van so that they don't have to worry about the frosting breaking down if the weather turns really hot.
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
04/26/2009 08:04 PM
yes--cupcakes frosted with lemonn curd and dotted with white chocolate chips.
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mjfrost
04/26/2009 07:53 PM
I thought about that but the bride and groom do not want fondant :( Is there nothing else that would be ideal? Thank you so much!
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
04/26/2009 06:21 PM
today was 90F+ in new jersey so as there's no predicting temperature outdoors i would do rolled fondant to be ssafe!
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mjfrost
04/26/2009 06:13 PM
I'am making a wedding cake for a cousin and the wedding is in may in Kansas. I need a simple vanilla frosting that won't melt in the heat, seeing that it's an outside wedding. A quick reply would be appreciated, Thanks!
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Cynthia
04/26/2009 10:02 AM
Hi! I have recently read The Cake Bible, from beginning to end, three times. Not only wot only wonderful in the kitchen, but a great read as well! Humidity has been a factor with my baking. This has helped tremendously!
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Cynthia
04/26/2009 09:52 AM
HI! I have posted this problem humidity last night on another well known site with no feedback! This has helped tremendously!
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James Gray
03/22/2009 06:48 AM
I own 2 small bakeries in Pittsburgh and have found that when Spring arrives so do the problems with our cupcakes. Especially our vanilla cakes. They do not rise as well as they do in the Winter. drier months. We have tested a bunch of different things including increasing the leavening. This helps a bit but then makes the cake more spongy. Which we don't care for. For us, it is clear that humidity has an effect of the cakes. But what to do about it is a daily challenge. One thing we do that also seems to help is to keep the temperature over night at a constant 58-60 degrees. The air conditioning helps to dry out the air, reducing the absorption into the flour.
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david eidler
02/18/2009 01:18 PM
I live in New Orleans and the humidity has a huge effect on boiled icings and many other cakes, etc. Less liquid is the key.
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Terry
02/09/2009 09:51 AM
I am having extreme problems with cakes dipping on the underside, much as described by Terry Dustin. I live in South Africa and bake for a living. My cakes work beautifully from the same recipe I have used for years, and I bake several a week. We are having humidity ranging between 61 and 83 percent this week, and the old problem has returned. Could it really be humidity related. Over the years I have tried changing ingredients including the oil brand I use, the paper I use for lining the pans etc. but regardless I have a string of unusable cakes. They come out the oven fine, but within a couple of minutes they collapse, the texture is oily and the dip is pale and matches the description of the other Terry. If it is humidity related, how do I fix it? Urgent help required. Thanks.
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
10/16/2008 07:00 PM
i don't find any problems with humidty as i weigh my ingredients and i like a very moist dough but some people find it harder to handle. all they need to do is add more flour when kneading.
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Nicole Lentz
10/08/2008 02:31 PM
what problems do you notice with humidity in bread for when your baking?
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Patricia Borg
03/02/2008 10:39 AM
I baked a streusel cake, making every effort with the right weighing of ingredients. I went by the book and let the cake cool in the oven. When I got back to check it after it cooled, I found out the cake had resulted in a hollowed centre. It's all puffed down. It was cooked in a foil disposible tray, in a fan oven. For the rest, the cake tastes good and is moist and nice just how it's supposed to be. Can someone help me? I'm a bit of a beginner in baking stuff. Thank you so much.
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Rob
12/21/2007 12:30 AM
I just moved from Hawaii to Utah and my favorite cookie recipe now makes only nine cookies instead of 12. I have done a little research on altitude and humidity but have not found any information that has helped. Any ideas?
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Rob Carpenter
12/21/2007 12:07 AM
I just moved from Hawaii to Utah and my favorite cookie recipe now makes only nine cookies instead of 12. I have done a little research on altitude and humidity but have not found any information that has helped. Any ideas?
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
08/14/2007 05:31 PM
it has been reported to me that humidity has a real effect on cake batter. i haven't experienced it first hand bc i work in an airconditioned environment.
when cakes dip it is invariably due to lack of structure. have you tried baking at a higher temperature? i don't think the strips would help this problem bc they serve to prevent doming not dipping!
i know how frustrating this must be for you and i don't think it's the mixes--i feel fairly certain it's the humidity. perhaps someone on the blog is using mixes and can report back.
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Terry Dustin
08/14/2007 11:52 AM
I have been prowling the web trying to find out what to do about poor cake performance. We manufacture ranges and ovens and regularly test ours and competitive products. You may not consider this real baking, but we have noted in the last month that white and yellow cakes of all the major brands get large dips and rings. These products performed wonderfully in the same exact oven just three months ago. I'm and engineer, so I tripple checked that it is operating properly. We are even using boxes of mix out of the same cases that previously worked well. The only variables I can think of are the humidity and the room temperature. We are based in southern California, which is basically an irrigated desert, getting less than 4” of rain in the last year. The humidity is usually low and the temperature warm, but not excessively hot as many parts of the country. This morning it is 68°F with scattered clouds and the humidity is shockingly at 94% according to a weather site. We have noted that pan size makes a big difference in the results; 9x13 rectangular pans usually produce good results, while 8” round pans are problem. One of our usual tests does a total of four 8” cakes at once, two cakes per rack, with them staggered so that one is not above another. Reducing the oven temp 25°F, making only two cakes instead of four and positioning the rack a little above center in the oven seems to reduce the problem, but not eliminate the dips. The dips are on the bottom and at minimum are 2” in diameter and ½” deep. Any thoughts? I wonder if your silicone strips would help this condition? I'm really more interested in finding the root cause, and I hate to deviate from the directions on the box.
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