Klaus Tenbergen

Q: Can you share a basic fritter mixture formula with us?
Alan, via e-mail

A: This basic fritter works well with a variety of ingredients, such as apples, bananas, prunes, canned peaches or pineapples. Or, it can be used without any additions.

Fritter

Method: Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together twice. Combine the eggs, milk and shortening. Add the sifted, dry ingredients and blend. Dip a spoon or scoop in melted fat, and use it to drop the donuts into a fryer heated to 350°F. Fry donuts until golden brown, about four minutes.

Q: Our customers really like our donuts, which we make from scratch. But we are not pleased with the color of the finished product as they are too light. What can we do to improve crust color?
Annette, via e-mail

A: Adding 2 percent dextrose/glucose (based on the total flour weight) to donut batter will improve crust color, as will using nonfat milk solids.

Q: What is salt rising bread, and is it made with natural or chemical leavening agents?
Lori, via e-mail

A: Salt rising or salt risen bread is bread in which the bacterium Clostridium perfringens is used to leaven the bread rather than yeast or baking soda. The salt is used in the starter to suppress yeast growth and provide a more hospitable environment for the bacteria. This allows the flavors from the bacterial metabolic products to predominate over the more typical yeast and Lactobacillus flavors in situations where reduced salt might be necessary. Salt rising bread is an artisan bread made from wheat flour with a starter consisting of a liquid (water or milk); corn, potato or wheat flour and some other minor ingredients. The starter performs best with an incubation period of six to 16 hours at temperatures ranging from 98°F to 113° F (38°C to 45°C); this is different from the more common sourdough starter that usually performs best at or below room temperature. The resulting bread has a dense crumb and favorable cheese-like flavor.

Q: We are trying to make our own hard shell ice cream topping, but what ingredient hardens the shell?
Steve, via e-mail

A: Hard shell topping gives plain ice cream a little crunch and flavor that is delightful. Mix edible, food-grade paraffin wax and soybean oil with chocolate to create the hard shell topping. Once the ice cream is dipped, the topping remains slightly warm and pliable.

Q: Can you share some guidelines on how much filling we should use in our coffee cakes?
Reza, via e-mail

A: The amount of filling used for a Danish dough may vary from 8 percent for a melt-away or vanilla cream filling to as much as 30 percent for a hazelnut, cinnamon and pecan filling or even 35 percent for a coconut filling based on the total laminated dough weight.

Q: I always loved the combination of pistachios and chocolate. Can you provide a cookie formula that features both?
Nathan, via e-mail

A: Here is the answer to your love affair with pistachios and chocolate. This pistachio and chocolate cookie formula yields 10 dozen small cookies, is easy to prepare and has amazing flavor.