baking: does it come easily to you?

I made made my first pie crust from Lily's recipe, and it was nearly idiot-proof! VERY simple, though I didn't use the parchment paper so had to deal with it getting stuck on the rolling pin/chopping board. Also, I got a soggy bottom from the blueberry pie I used it for -- looks like I should blind bake it at 400-425 for 6-8 minutes?

Yay! I never bother to blind bake because I like soggy bottoms on fruit pies, so I can't say for sure, but that sounds like it should work.

When I pre-bake that crust I do it at 425

I also find that a soggy bottom doesn't stick to the tin as much, which is another reason I don't blind bake either. But, you know, personal preferences. It's definitely easier to serve crisp pastry in a social context because it doesn't just all fall apart.

Hah, I've been indoctrinated by GBBO! I kind of like that raw, doughy taste myself, as well.

might make a peach pie soon. i have vacuum sealed peaches in the freezer from last summer.

if you have extra peaches I can highly recommend this Texas peach cobbler

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/texas-peach-cobbler-hill-country-recipe-fruit-recipe-peaches/

it has a bit of a kouign amagn vibe (not technique just flavor/texture) all crunchy & carmelized

O_O

it’s so easy & SO good

I tried the Dorie Greenspan Apple Nut Muffin Cake recipe. I used buttermilk and pecans, and chopped the raisins up into small pieces before adding them. I also diced three very small honey crisp apples to add to it since i didn’t have any medium or large apples. It was really good!

by mistake I ended up adding more butter than was called for. It took longer to bake but it was so good! I want to repeat it

i need to make it again i love it so much

i'm making it again right now. this is becoming a problem! i was going to make the julia child brownies but may do it next weekend or the next one. i went to home goods on friday to see if they had a pyrex square baking dish. i ended up getting a robin's egg blue le creuset square, and a bundt pan, and a ceramic pie dish with wavy edges.

Something that's happened to me in the last couple of bakes in a loaf pan, there's been a strip of uncooked batter. And the weird thing is, especially for the last thing I made (this gingerbread cake) -- was that the raw dough was just an inch under the top. What am I doing wrong?

(Incidentally, that recipe otherwise turned out quite well!)

You sure your temp is right? Maybe it's possible your top heating element has burned out or something? Certainly strange!

Have you done other bakes, not in a loaf pan, that have come out normal?

that is odd!

maybe try adjusting rack one spot higher or lower depending on where heating element is located?

some other suggestions here

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2018/03/15/how-to-tell-when-banana-bread-is-done

Have you done other bakes, not in a loaf pan, that have come out normal?

That's a good question! I just realized that when I'm using an 8x8 pan, I use my toaster oven, so I don't have a great point of reference for bakes with that kind of volume. I haven't noticed anything amiss with cookies, muffins, or savory dishes (usually casseroles/lasagnas), but of course those are apples/oranges.

Another question: are they things you are used to making? Are you comparing them to other times when they have come out right?

i would be kind of dubious about baking a cake in a toaster oven tbh but as Lily says if it’s worked out for you before then i dunno!

oh sorry I meant things like the gingerbread cake that you do bake in the oven (if I'm understanding right.)

The banana bread recipe is something that I've used before without much issue, but the last time (probably within the last few months) it had that raw strip (a lot like the one from Veg's link), but again, I think a lot shallower. But beyond that, I don't use my big oven a whole lot for cakes and loaves, although come to think of it, I did bake a babka in it a couple weeks ago. There was a lot wrong with it so I don't exactly remember if it came out raw, too.

In any event, I'm going to get an oven thermometer, and maybe in the meantime I'll increase the oven temperature 15 degrees?

maybe just preheat it longer. when i got a thermometer i realized i needed to preheat another 20 min, then it gets the right temp. definitely wasn't cold enough to make a quick bread have a raw spot though, that's pretty cold imo

I cook alot and am pretty good at it but have no interest in baking. My daughters would bake dessert every single day if I let them.

everything in VG’s link sounds worth thinking about

also Lee, just out of curiosity - how come you don’t primarily use your oven for baking?

I do use my big oven for things that won't fit in my toaster oven! It gets all of my 9x13 casserole dish, cookie sheet, loaf pan bakes. But when it comes to my 8x8 cake pan, I think that I'm trying to save on gas costs.

An oven thermometer is a great thing to borrow from a friend. I only ever used mine once and was like "yep, that's the right temperature"

interesting!

though tbf i have never encountered a toaster oven that i could bake a cake in.

Think it depends on the toaster oven; in AK sometimes we would run out of propane during a cold snap (you can't pump propane when it's cold) and have to use the toaster oven, and it worked fine for small things.

My cousin and I once took a toaster to a bar and baked a pie in it while listening to the band, which in retrospect must have been really annoying for the bar staff, though we did give them some pie. My cousin's dad had been playing music there for decades, so she got away with stuff like that.

a toaster oven, that is

omg lol that rules!

Haha I love DIY bar pie

My boring oven update: I got the the oven thermometer, and apparently it too my oven an additional 10 minutes to fully preheat!

I’ve noticed lot of sourdough books/websites say to preheat for at least an hour - maybe to avoid problems like that. Feels kinda wasteful tho - thermometer sounds like a good move

Pies are kind of hard, at least more so than muffins or cakes! Probably because the ccrust introduces a whole new variable? Anyway, I tried making a pecan pie last night and it was pretty bad (though I'll see how a night in the fridge affects it), and I have yet to make a decent pie.

premade crusts can make life easier
or cookie crusts like graham cracker
it took me a bit of practice to get my pie crusts to be not shit

a great pie that is easy = atlantic beach pie
kinda like a key lime pie but better
the saltine crust was new for me & really makes the pie imo

https://www.ourstate.com/one-phenomenal-pie/

the only total failure I've made was a pecan pie. all the filling leaked out somehow. i had no pie and was extremely pissed off.

i made cheesecake brownies with raspberries in this weekend, which were good

i made a couple pie crusts recently. i'm getting pretty good at it but it's a challenge when it's hot out. i have been smushing the cold butter cubes with my fingers instead of using the kitchenaid. probably won't do another until fall though. it's hard.

yeah i came to realize that the finger method def works but i haaaaate doing it because my fingers cramp up lol #old

hands seems to help get a better feel for the dough overall, if you can keep it all from getting too warm

such a crapshoot

I use the finger method because it works much better, but sometimes I cut up the butter first so that I have less work to do.

oh yeah i cut it in cubes first

Jeffrey Steingarten has an excellent and entertaining essay. I use his recipe and technique with great results! Will try to find a link.

Pie/shortcrust people: freeze your butter and grate it into the flour.

i’m gonna try that

i have seen this done but i'd be worried the pieces would be too small. may work if it's cold in the kitchen but more surface area per volume = fast melting.

Use the large hole grater (the one you’d use for eg. Cheddar). I’ve had success making the dough for Jamaican patties using this technique and those are usually a summer food.

The pecan pie filling turned out OK, even though I burned the hell out of everything. The crust did not survive, however.