The Baking Answer Book (10 page)

To trace fancy piping patterns
for cake decorations.

To fold and roll into tiny cornets
for piping chocolate or icing onto cakes and cookies.

To roll icebox cookie dough into logs
; keep the dough wrapped in the parchment in the refrigerator for up to 1 day until ready to use and it will unwrap beautifully without sticking.

To roll out sticky pie and pastry dough,
gingerbread, and anything else that might stick to your countertop; place the dough between two sheets and then roll without fear.

To wrap around soufflé dishes
and ramekins to create nonstick collars that will support your soufflés as they rise.

Q
Can I substitute wax paper or nonstick aluminum foil for parchment in a pinch?

A
Most recipes will instruct you to prepare your pans before you begin to mix your batter or dough, so chances are you will realize you are out of parchment before you are too far along with your cake or cookies. But if you realize your recipe calls for parchment too late, you can judiciously substitute wax paper or nonstick foil. Wax paper is
fine for lining cake pans, because it will be covered by cake batter. But don’t use it to line baking sheets, because when it is exposed to oven temperatures above 300°F (150°C) it will begin to smoke and burn. If you are making extremely delicate and sticky cookies such as tuiles, which need to bake on a very slippery surface, you can use nonstick foil, which has been treated with a food-safe nonstick coating. (Please note that while some baked goods can be peeled off of regular aluminum foil, cookies made with super-adhesive ingredients like jam or caramel will stick to regular foil like superglue.) You can also use a Silpat or other silicone baking mat.

Q
I see that a Silpat is quite expensive. How exactly would I use one? Is it worth the investment?

A
Silpat is the brand name of a French baking mat that professional bakers and many home cooks use instead of grease or parchment paper to line baking sheets, guaranteeing a nonstick surface. Although pricey, it is reusable up to 3,000 times, making it cheaper in the long run than parchment paper. Aside from lining baking sheets, the Silpat also comes in handy during other baking and pastry tasks. You can use it as a nonstick work surface for rolling out dough, as you would a sheet of parchment (although using a sharp knife or pastry cutter to trim dough still sitting on the mat is a bad idea, as sharp edges will damage the nonstick surface). You can pour hot caramel or pipe melted chocolate directly onto the mat, and easily remove either when cooled.

Even if you invest in a Silpat, however, there will still be times when you’ll need parchment. A Silpat can’t be cut to fit into a cake pan. Nor can it be used to make a cornet or a stencil. So the answer is, a Silpat is well worth the price if you bake often, but it won’t obviate the need for parchment.

Q
What is a cardboard cake circle?

A
Professional bakers use cardboard circles (or squares or rectangles) as bases on which to build their cakes. If a cake is built and decorated on top of one of these circles, it can then be transferred from the countertop to a serving platter with ease. Cake circles are great for two reasons. Frosting a cake can get messy. Doing it on top of a cake circle instead of directly on a platter allows you to lift your cake from the messy countertop onto a pristine platter rather than trying to clean up errant frosting from the platter itself. Using a cake circle as a base will also allow you to transport a cake easily and safely inside a cake keeper, so it can be transferred to a serving platter when you reach your destination.

Cardboard cake circles are available at baking supply stores and online, but you can always make your own by tracing the outline of your cake pan onto a piece of sturdy cardboard and then cutting it out. If you do so, remember to cover your circle with foil, especially if your cardboard spells out “Pampers” or “Budweiser” in big letters.

Q
I see many recipes these days recommend testing doneness with an instant-read thermometer. Is this really necessary? What is the best type of thermometer to buy? Do you have any tips for getting an accurate reading?

A
Experienced bakers working with a familiar recipe will be able to judge by sight and touch whether or not their cake or loaf of bread is done. But for less experienced bakers or even for old hands trying something new, an instant-read thermometer, which takes the internal temperature, provides proof that it’s time to pull an item from the oven. It’s especially important to use an instant-read thermometer for recipes in which overbaking or underbaking would be disastrous and the visual signs of doneness are ambiguous, as in the case of cheesecake or crème brûlée. A reading of the internal temperature in these cases is really the only way to know that your custard has baked enough to hold together but not so much that it is curdled.

An instant-read thermometer is essential for tempering chocolate, because proper tempering requires heating and then cooling and then reheating the chocolate with exactitude. (To give you an idea: First, the chocolate is brought to a temperature of between 100 and 105°F [38–41°C]; then it is cooled to a temperature of between 75 and 80°F [24–27°C]; then it is slowly brought back up to 88°F [31°C].) And don’t forget to use your thermometer when egg safety is an issue, as when making 7-minute frosting, pastry cream, and other recipes with gently heated eggs and whites.

Digital and dial-face thermometers are available in cookware shops and online. I prefer a digital thermometer, which is easier to read. To get an accurate reading, insert the thermometer into your cake, custard, or loaf of bread, angling it toward the middle. Some thermometers will give you a reading in 10 seconds; some will take up to 30 seconds.

DONENESS AND INTERNAL TEMPERATURE

Here are some useful numbers to know when testing for doneness with an instant-read thermometer.

Q
How is an instant-read thermometer different from a candy thermometer?

A
An instant-read thermometer has a sharp probe that can be inserted into the interior of a loaf of bread or a cake to measure its internal temperature. Instant-read thermometers are not ovenproof, so after 10 to 30 seconds, when you’ve gotten your reading, you must remove the thermometer from the food. An instant-read thermometer will measure temperatures from 0 to 220°F (18–104°C). In addition to baked goods, the thermometer can be used to measure the temperature of, say, a crème anglaise to see if it is sufficiently chilled to go into the ice cream maker.

A candy thermometer (sometimes called a fry thermometer) is designed to measure the temperature of very hot liquids such as boiling sugar or oil. This type of thermometer attaches to the side of the pan and stays put so you can monitor the temperature of your liquid as it heats. Its gauge goes from 100 to 400°F (38–204°C).