I get all sorts of questions asked of me by you guys and I try my best to give you a meaningful response but if I don’t know the answer, I reach out to experts in their field for their responses.  Here’s an example.

I received the following email from Grace R. asking,

Hi, I make pizza for a living; I have been told that salt kills yeast. I use salt & sugar with the dry yeast, eggs, oil and water, which is about 135-140 degrees. Was I misinformed? Is it a combination of elements or has the restaurant just been lucky for the past 26 years? Just curious. Thanks….

So I asked two of my favorite experts, Chef Jennifer Field and Chef Ruth Gresser. Jenni is a graduate of the Orlando Culinary Academy in Florida and Ruth is a graduate of Madelein Kamman’s Classical and Modern French Cooking School in Glen, New Hampshire and owner of the top pizza restaurant in Washington, DC.

Here’s what they had to say:

Chef Jennifer Field - It’s a matter of balance.  Salt does retard yeast growth, and in concentrations that are too high, it can indeed kill the yeast.  In judicious amounts, salt is what brings out the flavor in the bread and controls yeast growth so that the resulting crumb is nice and even.

If you ever make a dough without salt, you’ll notice a lot more, and faster, rise and after baking, you’ll see large, irregular holes in the bread where the yeast just got carried away.  So, it’s not that the restaurant has been lucky; it’s just that their pizza dough recipe is balanced so the yeast can do their thing while the salt keeps them in check.

Chef Ruth Gresser - In response to Grace’s yeast question, she heard correctly that salt and/or too much sugar can kill yeast.  However yeast has become much less perishable and more reliable over the years and the likelihood of that happening is less than it used to be.  Nonetheless I believe that Grace’s success is not luck, but due to the kind of yeast she uses.

We use regular dry yeast here at Pizzeria Paradiso and so proof it without salt or sugar in water that is 100 to 105 degrees F.  It sounds to me as if Grace uses instant yeast that is used by mixing it into the dry ingredients that are then combined with the liquid ingredients, including water, at a much higher temperature of 120 to 130 degrees F.  Grace says her water is at 135 to 140 but perhaps after it is mixed with the other liquid ingredients the combined temperature is in the range of 120 to 130 degree F.

Thanks chefs for your responses.

Every day I receive email from visitors with questions about a cooking technique or a recipe. I can’t get to them all but I try to get as many responses out as time permits and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll ask one of my chef friends.

Here are a couple I’ve received that deal with baking, a subject I am not that comfortable with, so I sent them to my friend Chef Jenni Field who is a great baker and pastry chef.

Cracks In Cake

This one comes from Debbie who says, “I tried the apple cake recipe, it is fantastic except for the part about the cracks in the middle of the cake. In fact, I had the same problem with other cakes as well, can u let me know what is the probable cause of this?”

Here’s how Chef Jenni replied, “My first thought is that, with fruit in the center, you’re bound to get some cracking as the fruit boils and then settles down upon cooling.  I’m not sure how much cracking you’re getting, but with a “homey” dessert like an apple cake, I’d just hit it with some powdered sugar and eat up!

If you’re getting cracks in other cakes as well, it could be from over-mixing or from using the wrong flour.  Depending on where you live, flours can be very different from one another.  In the US, stick with a nationally available all purpose flour for the most consistent results.

In regard to over-mixing the apple cake, try folding in the dry ingredients rather than trying to beat them in.  (In cakes using the creaming method - adding dry and wet alternately after creaming the fat and sugar, mix until just combined after each addition).

Also, check your oven temperature–if the oven is too hot, it could cause things to rise and peak, creating cracks in the cake.  This is great for muffins, but not what you want with cake.  If you don’t have one, get an oven thermometer to check the temperature.”

All Purpose Flour
Here’s another baking related queston I asked Chef Jenni to help with:

Anna says, “I have tried using natural unbleached, all purpose flour to make a layer cake and have been unsatisfied with the texture.  I tried using 2 tablespoons less of the all purpose flour (which I read is the equivalent of cake flour).  I have tried replacing some of the all purpose flour with corn starch.  None of the things I’ve tried have given me the light, airy cake that I get when I use the package mix.  I do want the cake to be all natural.  Any suggestions?

Chef Jenni replies, “I bet it’s their mixing method and not their flour that’s messing them up. Mass-produced cake mixes contain emulsifiers and tenderizers that are not available to the home baker.  So, generally speaking, a home-baked cake will most likely not be as light as a cake mix cake.  Notice I said “not be as light,” not “not be better.”  I stay away from cake mixes because of all the additives.

If you’ve tried using different flours and even using less all purpose to stand in for cake flour, I would consider buying some cake flour.  It is more finely milled than all purpose flour, and so your results tend to be a lighter, finer texture.  If you’ve tried cake flour already and still aren’t satisfied with your results, I would look to your mixing method.

If you are using the creaming method, make sure that all of your ingredients are at cool room temperature (about 68-70 degrees F) and that you thoroughly cream the fat and sugar until it is very light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat each one in thoroughly before adding the next.  Then, thoroughly whisk together all the dry ingredients and add about half to the batter.

Mix until incorporated on medium-low speed.  Add half of the liquid and just mix in.  Follow that with half of what’s left of the flour, the rest of the liquid and then the rest of the dry.  Mix just until incorporated after each addition and scrape the bowl frequently.

Following this procedure should result in a well-aerated cake that is fairly tender.  If you want a more tender cake, try the Two-Stage mixing method on my web site.

More About All Purpose Flour

Cher asks, “What does all purpose flour have in it? Any baking powder or baking soda?

Chef Jenni says, “You are not alone in your confusion over flours.  There are a wide variety of flours on the market, and it seems like more are introduced every day.

All purpose flour is a blend of high and low protein flours.  The manufacturers blend the flour so that there is enough gluten in it to make a reasonable (often excellent) loaf of bread but not so much that you will end up with a chewy birthday cake.  This is why they call it “all purpose:” it is good to use in a variety of baked goods.

When you ask about baking powder and soda, I assume you mean self-rising flour.  All purpose flour and self-rising flour are not interchangeable, because self rising flour does contain leaveners and salt.  Self rising (or self raising) flour is one of the first “baking mixes.”  Rather than having to measure out all purpose flour, baking powder and salt separately, a cook can just measure the self rising flour–everything else is already in there.”

Related Topics:

How To Bake Bread

Basic Bread Recipe - step-by-step instructions for making great homemade bread

Bread Ingredients & How They Effect the Final Product - learn how you can alter bread by substituting ingredients

Making a Bakery Style Buttercream Frosting

I received the following email from home cook Rhonda requesting a recipe for a buttercream frosting that would taste more like she has experienced at a bakery. Here is what she said,

"I am a stay at home mom that has looked everywhere for the
real sweet buttercream frosting that the bakery uses.  I have looked
on-line, cook books and none of the recipe’s are right.  The kids love helping me make cakes but they only like to decorate them.  They do not like the frosting.  If you have a recipe I would love
it.  I will keep trying until I get the right one.  I hope you can help. Thank you, Hi Rhonda!"

I immediately sent her request to my friend Chef Jenni Field, a professional pastery chef who graduated from Orlando Culinary Academy with her own blog called Pastry Methods and Techniques. Jenni asked for her original recipe that you can see below and offer her the following comments and recipe. (The photo above is from a birthday party my daughter attended. I was blown away at how this caked looked with its rich buttercream frosting that even include the ribbon. It’s not a great photo but I couldn’t ask the hostess to take the cake out of the box just so I could take a photo.)

Hi Rhonda,

I’m sure it must be frustrating to have fun decorating a cake with your kids only to have them refuse to eat it because they don’t like the frosting! I, personally, like almost all kinds of frosting, but I will do my best to give you some recipes that your kids will enjoy.

You said that you are looking for a recipe that tastes like bakery frosting. Unfortunately, there are many bakeries, and most of them use their own “special recipes.” It might be difficult to pinpoint the style of frosting you’re looking for, but I’ll give it a shot. Thank you for sending in the recipe you used. This gives us a place to start.

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup shortening
1/8 salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/8 almond extract
5 cups powdered sugar
4-6 teaspoons half and half

This recipe is your basic Wilton-style American buttercream. The texture can be kind of fluffy but a little bit gritty since it is based on powdered sugar. Powdered sugar contains some corn starch to keep it from clumping, and sensitive palates can pick the raw starch flavor up. Even if you don’t taste the raw starch, the texture is unmistakable—barely gritty if you rub a little between (clean) fingers.

Many icings are based on this basic American fat + powdered sugar + flavoring formula, including one of my favorites, cream cheese frosting. So, I won’t even linger at the standard American counter. Let’s wander over to another counter.

I found a modification of the standard American buttercream in The Whimsical Bakehouse by Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen. I’ve made this before, and it is pretty tasty. The use of boiling water cooks out some of that raw starch flavor, and the resulting texture is much smoother.

House Buttercream

3 cups confectioners’’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup boiling water
1 1/3 cup shortening
3 ½ ounces (7 tablespoons) cool butter, cut into pieces

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