18
Baking for Health and Wellness
Exercises and Experiments
Experiment 1: How Different Whole Wheat Flours and a Gluten-Free Mix Affect the Overall Quality of Muffins
Objectives
Demonstrate how the type of flour affects
• Crispness and the extent of Maillard browning on the crust of muffins
• Crumb color and structure
• Moistness, tenderness, and height of the muffins
• Overall flavor of muffins
• Overall acceptability of muffins
Products Prepared
Muffins made with
• Pastry flour (control product)
• Whole wheat flour (hard wheat)
• Whole wheat pastry flour (soft wheat)
• Whole white wheat flour (soft wheat)
• Gluten-free baking mix (see Formula on page 488, or purchase a pre-blended mix)
• Other, if desired (70/30 blend of pastry/whole wheat; 50/50 blend of pastry/whole wheat; 30/70 blend of pastry/whole wheat.)
Materials and Equipment
• Scale
• Sieve
• Parchment paper
• Muffin pans (2 1/2" or 3 1/2"/65 or 90 mm size)
• Paper liners, pan spray, or pan coating
• Mixer with 5-quart mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Flat beater attachment
• Basic Muffin Batter (see Formula), enough to make 24 or more muffins of each variation
• Size #16 (2 fl. oz./30 ml) portion-control scoop or equivalent
• Half sheet pans (optional)
• Oven thermometer
• Wooden pick, for testing
• Serrated knife
• Ruler
Formula
Gluten-Free Baking Mix
Yield: Enough for 1 batch of Basic Muffin Batter
Ingredient / Pound / Ounce / Grams / Baker’s PercentageRice flour, white / 13.2 / 375 / 67
Potato starch / 4.5 / 125 / 23
Tapioca starch / 2 / 60 / 10
Xanthan gum / 0.3 / 10 / 1.8
Total / 1 / 4 / 570 / 101.8
Method of Preparation
1 Combine ingredients and sift three times through sieve.
2 Set aside until ready to use.
Formula
Basic Muffin Batter
Yield: 24 muffins (you will have some excess batter)
Ingredient / Pound / Ounce / Grams / Baker’s PercentageFlour / 1 / 4 / 570 / 100
Sugar, regular granulated / 8 / 225 / 40
Salt (1 tsp/5 ml) / 0.2 / 6 / 1
Baking powder / 1.2 / 35 / 6
Oil, vegetable / 7 / 200 / 35
Eggs, whole / 6 / 170 / 30
Milk, whole / 1 / 455 / 80
Total / 3 / 10.4 / 1,661 / 292
Method of Preparation
1 Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2 Line muffin pans with paper liners, lightly spray with pan spray, or lightly grease with pan coating.
3 Sift dry ingredients together into mixer bowl. Note: if all particles (for example, bran particles) do not fit through sieve, stir them back into mixture.
4 Whisk egg lightly; blend in milk and oil.
5 Pour liquids onto dry ingredients and mix with flat beater just until flour is moistened. Batter will look lumpy.
6 Scoop batter into prepared muffins pans using level #16 scoop, about 2 ounces (57 grams) by weight each (or any scoop that fills cup one-half to three-quarters full).
7 If desired, place muffin pans on half sheet pans.
Procedure
1 Prepare muffin batter using the Basic Muffin Batter formula or using any basic muffin formula. Prepare one batch of batter for each variation.
2 Label muffin pans or ovens with type of flour to be added to muffin batter.
3 Use an oven thermometer placed in center of oven for an initial reading of oven temperature; record results here:
4 When oven is properly preheated, place filled muffin pans in oven and set timer for 20–22 minutes.
5 Bake until control product (made with pastry flour) springs back when center top is lightly pressed, and wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Control product should be lightly browned. Remove all muffins from oven after same length of time, even though some will be paler in color or have not risen properly. If necessary, however, adjust bake times for oven variances.
6 Record bake times in Results Table 1.
7 Check final oven temperature. Record results here:
8 Remove muffins from hot pans and cool to room temperature.
Results
1 When muffins are completely cooled, evaluate height as follows:
• Slice three muffins from each batch in half, being careful not to compress.
• Measure height of each cupcake by placing ruler along the flat edge at the cupcake’s center point. Record results for each of three muffins in 1/16" (1 mm) increments and record results in Results Table 1.
• Calculate the average muffin height for each batch by adding the heights of the muffins and dividing by 3. Record results in Results Table 1.
• Evaluate the shape of muffins (even rounded top, peaked top, dips in center, etc.) and record results in Results Table 1.
Results Table 1 Evaluation of Size and Shape of Muffins Made with Different Types of Flour
Type of Flour / Bake Time (in minutes) / Height of Each of Three Muffins / Average Height of One Muffin / Muffin Shape / Additional CommentsPastry flour (control product)
Whole wheat flour
Whole wheat pastry flour
Whole white wheat flour
Gluten-free baking mix
2 Evaluate the sensory characteristics of completely cooled products and record evaluations in Results Table 2. Be sure to compare each in turn to the control product and consider the following:
• Crust color, from very light to very dark on a scale of 1 to 5
• Crumb appearance (small/large air cells, uniform/irregular air cells, tunnels, etc); also, evaluate color
• Crumb texture (tough/tender, moist/dry, crumbly, gritty, gummy, spongy, etc.)
• Flavor (grain flavor, floury taste, saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, etc.)
• Overall acceptability, from highly unacceptable to highly acceptable, on a scale of 1 to 5.
• Any additional comments, as necessary
Results Table 2 Sensory Characteristics of Muffins Made with Different Types of Flour
Type of Flour / Crust Color / Crumb Appearance and Texture / Flavor / Overall Acceptability / Additional CommentsPastry flour (control product)
Whole wheat flour
Whole wheat pastry flour
Whole white wheat flour
Gluten-free baking mix
Sources of Error
List any sources of error that might make it difficult to draw the proper conclusions from your experiment. In particular, consider if there were differences in how batters were mixed and handled, any difficulty in dispensing equal weights of batter into muffin pans, and any problems with ovens.
Answer:
State what you could do differently next time to minimize or eliminate each source of error.
Answer:
Conclusions
Select one from the choices in bold or fill in the blanks.
1 Muffins made with regular whole wheat flour were shorter than taller than the same height as those made with pastry flour. The difference in height was small moderate large.
2 The difference in texture between muffins made with regular whole wheat flour and those made with white pastry flour was small moderate large. The difference can be described as follows:
Answer:
3 Compare muffins that were made with whole wheat pastry flour with those made with regular whole wheat flour. What were the main differences in appearance, flavor, and texture?
Answer:
These differences were small moderate large. How do you explain these results?
Answer:
4 Compare muffins that were made with gluten-free baking mix with those made with pastry flour (control product). What were the main differences in appearance, flavor, and texture?
Answer:
These differences were small moderate large. How do you explain these results?
Answer:
5 Which muffins did you feel were unacceptable overall, and why?
Answer:
What could you do differently next time so that these muffins are more acceptable?
Answer:
6 Did you notice any other differences in the muffins, or do you have any other comments about the experiment?
Answer:
Experiment 2: Fat Replacers in Brownies
Modifying standards formulas is often a trial and error process. The best approach is usually to make step-wise adjustments, changing only one ingredient at a time, evaluating each product along the way before deciding the next step.
This experiment is as much about the process of modifying a formula as it is about making a low-fat brownie. By first replacing the full amount of oil in brownies with black beans, then making step-wise adjustments to produce a low-fat brownie closer in quality to the full-fat product, you can learn how black beans function as a fat replacer, and how to compensate for undesirable changes when using black beans in place of fat.
Objectives
• Demonstrate the step-wise process of modifying a formula
• Demonstrate how a fat replacer affects
• Appearance of brownies
• Moistness, tenderness, and height of brownies
• Flavor of brownies
• Overall acceptability of brownies
Products Prepared
Brownies made with
• Oil (control product)
• Black bean puree
• Black bean puree with half the amount of egg
• Half oil, half black bean puree with half the amount of egg
• Other, if desired (unsweetened applesauce, unsweetened applesauce with half the amount of egg, half oil/half applesauce with half the amount of egg)
Materials and Equipment
• Scale
• Half sheet pans
• Parchment paper, silicone pad, pan spray, or pan coating
• Mixer with 5-quart mixing bowl
• Flat beater attachment
• Sieve
• Food processor
• Brownies (see Formula), enough to make one half sheet pan of each variation
• Spatula
• Oven thermometer
• Wooden pick, for testing
• Serrated knife
• Ruler
Formula
Brownies
Yield: One half sheet pan
Ingredient / Pounds / Ounces / Grams / Baker’s PercentageOil, canola / 12 / 340 / 150
Sugar, regular granulated / 1 / 9 / 700 / 311
Vanilla extract / 0.5 / 15 / 6.5
Eggs, whole / 12 / 340 / 150
Flour, pastry / 8 / 225 / 100
Cocoa powder, dutched / 4.5 / 125 / 56
Baking powder / 0.25 / 7 / 3
Salt / 0.25 / 7 / 4.5
Total / 3 / 14.6 / 1,762 / 781
Method of Preparation (for control product)
1 Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2 Line half sheet pans with parchment or silicone pad, lightly spray with pan spray, or lightly grease with pan coating.
3 Using flat beater, stir oil and sugar in mixer bowl on low speed for 1 minute.
4 Add vanilla extract and eggs. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds.
5 Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together three times.
6 Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on low speed 30 seconds or until well blended.
7 Spread 3 pounds 8 ounces (1550 grams) batter evenly in prepared pan.
Method of Preparation (for brownies with varying amounts of black bean puree and eggs)
Follow the Method of Preparation for the control product, except for the following changes:
1 Rinse and drain three 16 ounce (454 gram) cans of black beans in strainer.
2 Puree beans in food processor until smooth and homogeneous.
3 For brownies made with black bean puree, substitute 12 ounces (340 grams) black bean puree for the full amount of oil in step 3.
4 For brownies made with black bean puree and a lower amount of egg, substitute 12 ounces (340 grams) black bean puree for the full amount of oil in step 3. Reduce the amount of egg from 12 ounces (340 grams) to 6 ounces (170 grams) in step 4.
5 For brownies made with half oil, half black bean puree, and a lower amount of egg, use 6 ounces (170 grams) oil, 6 ounces (170 grams) black bean puree in step 3. Use 6 ounces (170 grams) eggs in step 4.
Procedure
1 Prepare brownies using the above formula or using any basic brownie formula. Prepare one batch of brownies for each variation.
2 Label sheet pans or ovens with type of fat replacer used in brownies.
3 Use an oven thermometer placed in center of oven for an initial reading of oven temperature. Record results here:
4 When oven is properly preheated, place filled sheet pans in oven and set timer for 30–35 minutes.
5 Bake until brownies firm up and a wooden pick comes out clean.
6 Record bake times in Results Table, which follows.
7 Check final oven temperature. Record results here:
8 Cool to room temperature and remove from pan.
Results
1 When brownies are completely cooled, evaluate height as follows:
• Slice batch in half, being careful not to compress.
• Measure height of brownies by placing ruler along the flat edge of the brownies at the center of the pan. Record results in 1/16" (1 mm) increments and record in Results Table.
2 Evaluate the sensory characteristics of completely cooled products and record evaluations in Results Table. Be sure to compare each in turn to the control product and consider the following:
• Crust color and appearance (light/dark, shiny/dull, smooth/rough/pocked)
• Crumb appearance (light/dark in color, airy/dense, cake-like/gummy, etc.)
• Texture (tough/tender, moist/dry, gummy, spongy, etc.)
• Flavor (sweet, salty, bitter, chocolate, vanilla, other, etc.)
• Overall acceptability, from highly unacceptable to highly acceptable, on a scale of 1 to 5
• Any additional comments, as necessary
Results Table Evaluation of Brownies Made with a Fat Replacer
Variation / Bake Time, Minutes / Height / Crust Color and Appearance / Crumb Appearance / Texture / Flavor / Overall Acceptability / Additional CommentsFull amount of oil (control product)
Black bean puree
Black bean puree with half the amount of egg
Half oil, half black bean puree with half the amount of egg
Sources of Error