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Humidity's Effect on Baking Ingredients
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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Comments
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.
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | October 16, 2008 7:00 PM #
what problems do you notice with humidity in bread for when your baking?
Reply to this Posted by: Nicole Lentz | October 8, 2008 2:31 PM #
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.
Reply to this Posted by: Patricia Borg | March 2, 2008 10:39 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?
Reply to this Posted by: Rob | December 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?
Reply to this Posted by: Rob Carpenter | December 21, 2007 12:07 AM #
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.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | August 14, 2007 5:31 PM #
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.
Reply to this Posted by: Terry Dustin | August 14, 2007 11:52 AM #