Tasty Temptations: March 2016

Welcome to Tasty Temptations in Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids! At Tasty Temptations we get all kinds of questions about baking. Today we would like to share a few of our bakers best tips for most frequently asked questions.

1. Measuring matters. We Americans like to kick it old-school in the measuring department, relying on cups and spoons to give the proper proportions. Yet pastry chefs world-wide measure their ingredients by metric weight. The reason for this is that a cup of flour can vary greatly in weight depending on the type of flour, and how packed it is. In a perfect world, all home-cooks would use scales and metric measurement to insure exact amounts of wet and dry ingredients. As that’s never going to happen, make sure to always pour ingredients into your measuring cups, never scoop. Scooping packs the ingredient down, meaning you end up with more than you want. Always level the measuring spoons and cups with a knife or spatula. If you are a habitual scooper and can’t stop, at least stir the ingredients (especially flour) to lighten it, before scooping into the bag.
2. Quality Ingredients. Different brands of butter, yogurt, buttermilk, and flour have varied levels of moisture, fat, and protein. These little variations can greatly effect the outcome of the final product. Use the brands the recipe developer recommends, or find brands that suit your baking needs and use them exclusively so you know how they will react in your recipe.
3. Ingredient temperature. If a recipe calls for cold butter, melted butter, or room-temperature eggs, remember that any adjustment you make will effect the outcome. The difference between putting a dough with cold butter and one with warm melted butter in the oven, is HUGE. It results in a completely different chemical reaction.
Now for some more great tips check out our Podcast from our head baker, Roxy Schweke.

Roxy Schweke is our head baker at Tasty Temptations. 22 years old she has been Barb's apprentice for years and has now taken over where grandma left off. She has studied baking at The Art Institute of Milwaukee and has an associates degree in pastry design. Mom to the beautiful Braelynn, Roxy is a natural leader and excels at everything she does!

Here she shares some great tips she uses at Tasty Temptations and at home!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0FHTfqnSGg

Thanks for checking us out today and stay tuned for Pacelli Corner!