WEIGH TO BAKE
Of all the sweet things in life, few are as sweet as second chances. But
when it comes to baking, you simply don't get any. You have to get it
right the first time. When you bake a cake, you cannot taste it part way
through the baking process and decide what to add. And if you measured the
flour with cavalier indifference or a heavy hand, you cannot undo the
effects of dryness and heavy texture.
A cook must constantly taste, prod, evaluate and adapt to the variation of
ingredients. A baker, however, is working with ingredients such as flour,
sugar, baking powder, liquid and butter, which are far more
consistent. The variance in baking results comes from the manner in which
people measure the ingredients even more than from the mixing
technique. Using scales to weigh the ingredients totally eliminates this
problem.
Bakers are born, not made. We are exacting people who delight in
submitting ourselves to rules and formulas if it means achieving repeatable
perfection. The rewards of this discipline go beyond providing absolute
sensory pleasure. There is also a feeling of magic and alchemy that comes
from starting with ingredients that don't remotely resemble the delicious
magnificence of the final result.
Any lover of baking ultimately will adore using scales once past the fear
of what sometimes, at first, is perceived as a foreign object. Weighing
ingredients is not only reassuring, it is much faster than measuring and
results in far less cleanup. Consider how much easier it is to scoop cocoa
or powdered sugar, with the inevitable lumps, into a bowl for weighing,
rather than to try to measure out a level cup, lightly spooned. And I
wouldn't dream of trying to figure out how tightly to pack brown sugar into
a cup when I can weigh it in a flash. Also think how much more pleasant it
is to weigh a greasy substance like vegetable shortening, rather than to
smear it into a measuring cup or to weigh sticky corn syrup or
honey. Scales that have the ability to eliminate (tare) the weight of the
bowl also make it possible to add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl,
one after the other, rather than having to use separate bowls for
each. They can then be mixed together, eliminating the need either to sift
the flour or to sift the dry ingredients together.
Another benefit of weighing is the ease of decreasing or increasing
recipes. And once in a great while, I have completed a batter or dough and
suddenly wondered if I remembered to add an ingredient. When in doubt, all
I need to do is weigh the final unbaked product. If it is less than the
total weight of the recipe, my suspicions are confirmed and I can add the
missing ingredient.
Of course, inaccurate scales are worse than no scales at all. The old
fashioned beam-balance scales (the food goes on one pedestal and is
balanced by weights set on the other one) is accurate but slower than the
pendulum or electronic scales. I avoid scales made with springs as over
time and with use they may rust or wear out and become less accurate. The
best electronic scales can and should be calibrated regularly, using
weights. Less expensive electronic models may not be as reliable so, as an
alternate to a good quality electronic scale, I prefer a simple inexpensive
pendulum scale such as the Cuisinarts one (800/726-0190) retailing for
about $35.
The two electronic scales that I have worked with for several years and
which I can swear by are: the Mettler laboratory scale: Model #SB16001,
800/786-0038, retailing for $2,170; and the Edlund Model # E80, available
through local food service equipment dealers $260. Both readily switch
back and forth between ounces and grams. The Mettler's accuracy is
sufficient to weigh a teaspoon of baking powder and its range of 35 pounds
makes it possible to weigh ingredients in one bowl for a large wedding
cake. The Edlund's capacity is only 5 pounds.
The following cake from The Cake Bible has proven, over the past 10 years,
to be a readers' favorite and is a great choice for the upcoming
holidays. It is a moist, exceptionally full flavored chocolate pound cake
but the slices resemble pieces of dark bread. If you have never baked by
weight, borrow a scale and try it just once. I guarantee you will be an
instant believer. I'll work on converting you to metric next but I'm
taking this one step at a time!
Note: to convert your favorite recipes to weight: 1 cup of sifted cake
flour=3.5 ounces/100 grams, 1 cup of granulated sugar=7 ounces/200 grams, 1
cup of light brown sugar, firmly packed=7.65 ounces/217 grams