Tips & Tricks for Baking Excellence
Properly Storing and Selling Your Breads
Crusted breads should be stored in enclosed paper bags to maintain their crisp crust. Soft breads should be stored sealed in plastic bags to retain their soft texture.
Looking to Elevate your Brownies?
- To make an add-oil-and-water mix even fudgier, add 3-5% invert sugar syrup to the dry mix weight.
- To make an add-oil-and-water mix more cake-like, substitute whole eggs for some of the water in the formula or substitute solid fat for a portion of the oil.
- To avoid a flaky crust on top, lightly spray the top with water before baking or add a pan of water to the oven to create a more humid baking environment.
Batter temperature should be 72°F at the end of mixing. The batter should rest 10-15 minutes. Cake donuts should be fried at 375°F. Proper fry time is 55 seconds per side.
Cake donuts are the best place to experiment with flavors. You can add Westco® Fruit-O flavors, flavor powders, or even powdered drink mixes to your batter.
Why Does My Chocolate Look Bad?
White film covering the chocolate is a sign of fat bloom.
- “Fat bloom” will occur if chocolate comes out of temper. Avoid refrigeration.
- “Sugar bloom” will occur if chocolate gets condensation.
Avoid excess heat – never over 135°F.
Keep Your Icings Fresh!
BakeMark Dipping Icings are ready to use but require heating to 105-110°F before use. Heating beyond 120° will cause the icings to lose their stability. Water should never be added to these products. If they need to be thinned, simple syrup such as Westco® Honey Pectin Glaze should be used.
How to Thaw Frozen Egg Products
Thaw overnight under refrigeration or place unopened container under cold running water.
Caution: Do not thaw at room temperature. Do not thaw under hot water.
The Correct Filling for Puff Pastries Is Key
Use fillings with low water. Fillings made from dehydrated fruits will absorb steam generated from the baking puff dough and will not get mushy.
The Importance of Fruit Content in Puff Pastries
Use fillings with as little water as possible. Fillings with high soluble sugar content will prevent boiling. High viscosity fillings won’t run off the top of baked pastries. The higher the fruit content, the better the visual appeal.
Flour: The Foundation of Your Baking
Flour can be made from any grain, but glutenin only comes from the wheat grain.
- 70% bread flour must be used to make a decent loaf of bread
- 30% “flavored” flour can be used to add more flavor (pumpernickel flour, rye flour, or any other type of grain)
Tips for the Best Glaze in the Industry
Make your glaze the day before. It will adhere better when the sugar fully absorbs the water. Use top-quality donut glaze made with Westco® Super Speedee Glaze to make glaze that lasts.
Making cakes from scratch requires scaling of ten or more ingredients, often increasing labor costs and the potential for errors. BakeMark cake mixes only require two additional ingredients, reducing those risks.
- Baking temperature in a rack or convection oven should be 320-335°F. In a reel or conventional oven, the temperature should be 350-365°F.
- Cakes should be inverted (turned upside down) immediately after removal from the oven to trap moisture, prevent shrinkage, and to retain straight sidewalls. Inverted cakes will require less trimming and less icing to finish them. They will also have a longer shelf life.
Higher amounts of sugar make softer donuts. Doughs with higher levels of sugar are easier to work with and run much better through machinery.
Properly mixed dough must be fully developed with a finished dough temperature of 80°F.
Mixed dough should rest, covered for 45-60 minutes. Donuts should be proofed at 95-100°F and 75-80% humidity. Yeast donuts should be fried at 375°F for 55-60 seconds per side.