Cooking is also a science that does not stand still. In the traditional understanding and widespread technology, biscuit dough consists only of eggs, sugar and flour, not counting some additional components that do not significantly affect the main technological process of dough preparation. But the idea of making biscuit on boiling water is not without originality and logic. Bravo, resourceful housewives!
For those who are accustomed to “create” biscuit dough in the traditional way, and do not understand what the essence of the unusual way is, reveal secrets and share recipes.
Sponge cake on boiling water - the basic technological principles
To understand the essence of this method of cooking biscuit dough, you will have to grasp a bit of some biochemical processes occurring inside the test, compare the classic versions with the innovative method of cooking biscuit.
A common method of cooking biscuits is based on mechanical beating of eggs and increasing them in volume by 2-3 times. As a result of beating, egg white forms long fibers that hold air bubbles between them. Further, sugar and flour are added to the beaten egg mass, which, also forming fibers, but more resistant, in contrast to egg white, increase the density and elasticity of the semi-finished product after baking.
The classical technology involves the introduction of dry flour into the egg mass. At the same time, it is necessary to mix flour with beaten eggs quickly and carefully, because the structure of egg “threads” is very unstable and barely holds air bubbles. The introduction of flour, anyway, reduces the splendor of the egg mass due to the difference in density, weight and humidity. Getting into the egg mass, flour, combining with the protein mass, begins to absorb moisture from the eggs, as a result of which the structure of the protein filaments is disturbed, part of the air bubbles evaporate. True, when baking, the biscuit still rises, but already due to the newly formed yarns of gluten flour, more stable than egg white. Thanks to flour, the semi-finished product gains elasticity and stability. Note also that the ratio of solids and liquids in the biscuit dough should be the same, since for any method of its preparation it is important not to break this consistency, so that the semi-finished product after baking does not turn out wet and heavy.
Each housewife knows that the most difficult stage of the classical preparation of sponge dough is to mix the egg mass with flour, because it requires a lot of experience and utmost accuracy. The slightest careless movement can spoil the work and dessert: dry flour can curl up into lumps, and the dough cannot be mixed intensively, so that it does not settle. As you can see, difficulties in the preparation of biscuits exist.
Now turn to the innovative method of making biscuit. To begin, answer the questions:
What does the method of brewing (adding boiling water) give to the biscuit dough?
How to keep the required moisture if water is added to the dough?
In the light of the known laws of physics and biochemistry, the question also arises about the structural change of protein under the influence of high temperatures. In other words, won't the egg white roll up at the wrong moment when boiling water is added to the sponge dough?
We answer questions in order:
Flour perfectly swells in water, while its gluten forms durable threadlike fibers during the brewing process. Such a dough will not draw moisture from the egg mass to form a linkage of the gluten from the flour, because the flour combines with the egg mass already in the wet state and with the prepared gluten.
To maintain the required ratio of liquid and solid ingredients in the dough, it is enough to reduce the number of eggs directly proportional to the amount of water added to the flour or increase the amount of dry ingredients in the dough. It can be not only flour, but also cocoa (for chocolate sponge cake), starch. Soda, ammonium or baking powder will suit well to such dough: these additives will give additional volume and will slightly dry the dough when baking.
The batter, made from flour and water, mixes more quickly and more easily with beaten eggs, because both masses have a liquid consistency, and according to the laws of physics they can easily be combined into a homogeneous mixture. To avoid coagulation of egg white, it is enough to monitor the temperature regime, and this is much easier to do than to mix evenly dry flour with beaten eggs without disturbing their fluffy volume.
Having understood the basics of the innovative method of making biscuit dough, it remains to overcome the stereotype that has developed over many years, when the biscuit was prepared by professionals and amateurs using familiar and familiar technology. Remember that the old proven methods of cooking biscuits, were also innovative too. The classic biscuit dough is now prepared in a hot and cold way, with the addition of butter, and these technologies are officially recognized as standards, fixed in the technological maps of the largest confectionery enterprises.
Biscuit on boiling water, as a relatively new method of making bulk dough, is still under development. The perfect way to make such dough is not found yet. But, given the subtleties of the technological process outlined above, it is possible that the perfect recipe for dough for boiled biscuit can be opened by one of the readers.
To make it easier to understand and adopt a new non-standard method, try to test this technology in practice.
Vanilla biscuit on boiling water
Ingredients:
Eggs, dietary (large) 3 pcs.
Baking Powder 25 g
Water 110 ml
Flour 450g
Vanilla extract 5 mg
Sugar, refined 125 g
Preparation:
Pay attention to the composition of the products: the weight of the diet egg is 65-70 g without shell. 3 eggs, 70 g each - 210 g. Weight of eggs and water - 330 g. Add the weight of sugar to this mass - 125 g, because sugar belongs to liquid ingredients. Despite its crystalline texture and flowability, sugar contains a lot of moisture and melts at high temperature. Total: wet ingredients by weight - 455 g, which corresponds to the weight of dry ingredients, including baking powder. We also take into account that flour also contains moisture, albeit in small quantities.
The correct proportions are met. We turn to the preparation of dough, but first we heat the oven to 180 ° C, prepare the shape, as for a regular biscuit. Beat the cooled eggs in the combine's bowl, adding the extract at the end of the beating. At the same time, sift the flour into the boiling water, stirring the mixture with a whisk. In 100 ml of water, of course, all the flour does not fit, so brew no more than 100 g. Combine the rest of the flour with baking powder and sugar and add to the hot brewed dough. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
In a warm flour mixture pour the beaten eggs, gently mix the dough until smooth, pour into the form and bake. Check the readiness of the test with a wooden skewer or toothpick. Put the hot form on the grid until it is completely cooled. After remove the biscuit.
Sponge cake with boiled water, with starch - the second method
Ingredients:
Sugar, refined 125 g
Corn Starch - 50 g
Vanilla extract 5 mg
Baking Powder 25 g
Eggs, dietary (large) 3 pcs.
Flour 450g
Milk (2.5%) 120 ml
Cooking:
The whole technology of dough preparation is exactly the same as in the first recipe, but the amount of flour is reduced by 50 g, and the same amount of starch is added. Instead of water, milk is used to brew the dough, which is taken slightly more than water, taking into account the dry mass in its composition.
Chocolate cream sponge cake on boiling water
Ingredients:
Milk 150 ml
Butter, cream 75 g
Sugar 250 g
Vanillin 6g
Water 150 ml
Flour 650 g
Eggs 4 pcs.
Cocoa 100 g
Baking powder 20 g
Salt 12 g
Working order:
Prepare the oven and detachable baking dish by lining its bottom with baking paper greased. Boil the milk with sugar and cocoa. Boil down to medium consistency by adding oil. Beat chilled proteins to maximum volume and firm foam. Add some flour (150 g) to boiling water, quickly stir with a whisk, remove from the stove, continue beating with a whisk, placing the container in a bowl of cold water. Beat the yolks into the choux pastry, one by one, add the hot chocolate mass, pouring it into the dough in portions and mixing. Add the remaining flour, combined with baking powder and salt. Stir. Introduce carefully whipped proteins into warm dough, and pour the whole mass into the prepared form, filling it up to half the volume. Bake should be at 170 ° C in the middle shelf. Allow the sponge to cool for at least 5-6 hours. After that you can cut layers, soak in syrup and form a cake.
Vegan orange sponge cake on boiling water
Ingredients:
Starch 75 g
Water 250 ml
Citrus juice (orange or lemon) 200 ml
Flour 500 g
Baking Powder 20 g
Vanilla extract 6 mg
Sugar 125 g
Salt 10 g
Cooking:
Bring water to a boil, add sugar. In the cold juice, dissolve the starch, mix and pour into the sugar syrup, stirring intensively with a whisk. When it thickens, remove from the heat and, continuing the beating, sift the flour into the liquid, combined with the baking powder and salt.
Pour the dough into the prepared dish and place in the preheated oven. Bake at 180 ° C for 40 minutes. Check the readiness of the semi-finished product with a bamboo stick.
Ready sponge cake after cooling soak for 5-6 hours.
Sponge cake with poppy seed
Ingredients:
Milk 200 ml
Sugar 180 g
Mack, confectionery 150 g
Vanilla powder 8 g
Eggs 4 pcs.
Oil 120 g
Flour 550 g
Salt 16 g
Soda 10 g
Cooking:
Rinse the poppy, let it drain, and boil it in milk with sugar. When the poppy is well parted, add a little flour, sifting it in parts, stir the mixture so as not to burn. If lumps form by chance, punch through the mass with a blender. It should make a thick, but not tight dough. Remove it from the stove. Pound yolks with butter, add to warm dough. Salt, add soda. Last of all, add whites, whipped into a strong foam.
Put the dough into a mold lined with oiled parchment and place in a hot oven. The temperature for baking should be medium.
Pink biscuit on boiling water with kefir
Ingredients:
Raspberry juice 200 g
Water 100 ml
Sugar 250 g
Kefir 150 g
Eggs 5 pcs.
Flour 70 g
Oil 120 g
Vanillin
Soda 25 g
Starch 50 g
Cooking:
Combine the juice with starch, pour the mixture into boiling water, cook until thick. In the resulting thick and hot jelly, add half of the sugar, and rub the remaining sugar with butter and yolks until white. Protein whisk separately. In a deep bowl, sift flour, add vanillin, soda, a little salt. Stir dry mixture and pour hot jelly, then kefir. Stir the dough constantly. Add the oil mixture after kefir, and lastly add the whipped proteins. Stir the dough gently with a spatula, transfer it into detachable forms (24 and 28 cm), fill them in half, and bake cakes for a two-tiered cake. Semi-finished products should be left on a wooden surface for the night, covered with a linen napkin.
Sponge cake in boiling water - tips
Biscuit dough - one of types of bulk (liquid) dough. Whatever recipe is chosen for cooking, pay attention to the consistency of the resulting dough before sending it to the oven. The dough for biscuit, in any embodiment, must have a consistency of thick cream, with a moisture content of 30-40%. After baking, some of the moisture will evaporate. The finished semi-finished product after cooling should retain its elasticity: when you press your finger, no dents should remain on the surface of the cooled biscuit.
Achieve the desired consistency of the dough, regardless of what is written in the recipe. Remember that each product has a different degree of moisture, including flour.
Always try to beat the eggs to get a lush baking. If this is not written in the recipe, do it by default, because any dough that is maximally saturated with oxygen is doomed to success.
