Q: We bake gingerbread throughout the year. The cookies rise beautifully in the beginning of the baking process, but sink in the center shortly thereafter. What are we doing wrong?
G.N., Minneapolis

A: I bake my gingerbread in a cool oven around 320°F (160°C) to compensate for the syrupy nature of the dough. If the oven is too hot, the cookies will rise too much and too fast during the first stage of the baking process. They then sink in the middle as the center did not stabilize properly to hold the expansion. If you bake the gingerbread in an oven that is too hot, the final product also will be too dark.

Q: We are new to making wedding cakes. Can you give us some guidelines for baking times of the different cake sizes?
H.Z., Canton, Ga.

A: Below are some guidelines, however, you need to remember that many factors can affect baking times and the amount of filling needed for each cake.

Size	Filling	Baking Time
6-in.	2 lbs.	2 to 2.5 hours
8-in.	3 lbs. 8 ozs.	2.5 to 3 hours
10-in.	6 lbs.	3 to 3.5 hours
12-in.	9 lbs.	3.5 hours

Q: We make various styles of dessert pizza in our bakery. How much dough should we calculate for each 10-in. base?
S.M., Minneapolis

A: I use 8 ozs. of dough for a thin crust, 10 ozs. for a medium crust and 14 ozs. for a thick crust dessert pizza.

Q: We are making an 11-in. vol-au-vent case with a 1-in. edge, which is used for a fruit torte. At what temperature should we bake it to get moisture baked out thoroughly so it is really dry and not soggy?
A.A., Charlotte, N.C.

A: An oven temperature of 400°F (204°C) should solve your problem.

Q: What is the difference between a baba and a savarin?
P.A., Le Center, Minn.

A: The difference between a baba and a savarin is that a baba contains dried fruit and a savarin is plain dough but served with fruit once baked.

Q: What is the optimal proofer setting for donuts?
F.C., Lake Tahoe, Nev.

A: Your proofer should not exceed 105° F, but ideally the proofer should be between 95°F and 100°F with a humidity level of about 85 percent.

Q: How much compressed yeast should we use for bread with an 8- to 10-hour fermentation time?
P.V., Salem, N.C.

A: Try 42 g per liter or 1.5 ozs. compressed yeast for each quart of fluids.

Q: We make a great pound cake and want to sell an egg-free version. Can this be done?
Natalie, via e-mail

A: When taking out the aerating agent (eggs), you need to add or increase the chemical leavening agent. One pint of eggs can be replaced with one pint of milk and 1 oz. of baking powder.

Q: When making puff pastry turnovers, the filling spills out. What are we doing wrong?
Kathie, via e-mail

A: Several factors cause filling to spill out of turnovers. Here are some:

• Insufficient rest and cooling before baking
• Incorrect cutting/shaping
• Poor sealing
• Over-filling of pastries

Q: What is a simple method of checking if chocolate has been tempered properly?
P.O., South Plainfield, N.J.

A: Place a small quantity of chocolate on a piece of parchment paper or on the point of a pallet knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will start hardening evenly and show a good gloss within five minutes.

Q: How much fat will a donut absorb during frying?
R.W., St. Louis

A: Various factors can affect how much fat a dough or batter absorbs during frying. In general, a dozen donuts will pick up between 15 to 20 percent of the finished weight.

Q: We bake a lot of apple pies. Lately, some of our customers complain that the apples are turning pink. What is causing this?
Rile, via e-mail

A: I experience the same problem when I bake apple pies at a temperature that is too high. The pink color is caused by the acidity of certain varieties of apples. The discoloration is due to the hydrolysis of leucoanthocyanins present in the cell tissue of the apples.

Q: We started baking Pullman loaves or sandwich-style bread. A fellow baker suggested panning the bread using the “four pieced” method? What is the benefit of such a technique?
Linda, via e-mail

A: I have used several methods in the past: four-pieced, twisted or even the eight-pieced technique. These techniques improve the crumb's appearance, softness and resilience, which can help slicing and eating properties.

Q: Can you provide a formula for yeast dough, made from mostly whole wheat flour?
C.W., Cincinnati

A: Below is a great yeast dough with a little twist.

Whole wheat yeast dough

Ingredients	Lbs.	Ozs.	Metric	Bakers %
Whole wheat flour	2	0	900 g	90
Bread flour	0	3.5	100 g	10
Butter	0	2	60 g	6
All-purpose shortening	0	2	60 g	6
Granulated sugar	0	2	60 g	6
Honey	0	2	60 g	6
Compressed yeast	0	3	80 g	8
Whole eggs	0	2	50 ml	5
Salt	0	0.5	12 g	1.2
Whole milk	0	10.5	300 ml	30
Water	0	10.5	300 ml	30
Raisins	0	5.5	160 g	16
Hazelnuts, ground and toasted	0	3	80 g	8
Total appr. wt.	4	14.5	2.222 kg	222.2

Method: Combine all the ingredients except the raisins and hazelnuts, and mix as you would any yeast dough, which is not too stiff. Add the raisins and hazelnut at the end of the mixing process. Use as desired.

Q: We sell homemade ice cream in our bakery. How can we make fake ice cream displays to showcase our great combinations?
P.V., Chicago

A: This formula works great to make faux ice-cream.

Faux ice cream

Ingredients	Lbs.	Ozs.
Corn syrup	1	0
All purpose shortening	1	0
Confectioners' sugar	4	0
Total appr. wt.	6

Method: Blend the corn syrup and shortening until smooth. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar until a stiff dough forms. Knead in remaining confectioners' sugar by hand until the desired consistency is reached. Add food coloring as needed.

Q: Is there a guideline on how many pumpkin seeds can be added to yeast dough for a bundt cake?
Florence, via e-mail

A: Pumpkin seeds are a good source of iron, zinc, essestial fatty acids, potassium and magnesium. I would start with 30 percent of seeds based on the flour weight. You may want to work upwards from there. Add some raisins for additional flavor.

Q: Can you provide a formula for apple filling?
Velina, via e-mail

A: This one should work well for pies, Danish and pastries.

Apple pie filling

Ingredients	Lbs.	Ozs.	Metric
Apples, peeled and chopped	2	12	1.25 kg
Apple sauce	0	5.25	150 g
Granulated sugar	0	3.5	100 g
Cinnamon ground		dash	2 g
Black currants	0	1.75	50 g
Hazelnuts, chopped and toasted	0	1	30 g
Rum	0	0.5	15 ml
Sweet cake crumbs	0	1.75	50 g
Total appr. wt.	3	9.75	1.647 kg

Method: Combine all ingredients.

Q: We want to make taffy apples. Can you provide a formula?
Mike, via e-mail

A: I use the following formula with great success.

Taffy apples

Ingredients	Lbs.	Ozs.	Metric
Water	3		1.36 L
Sugar, granulated	8		3.63 kg
Glucose	3		1.36 kg
Total appr. wt.	14		6.35 kg

Method: Combine water, sugar and glucose, and cook until the mixture reaches 310°F (155°C). Add red or any other food coloring to achieve the desired shade. Dip the apples as desired.

Klaus Tenbergen is certified as a Master Baker in Germany, South Africa and the United States. He is currently an assistant professor at California State University in Fresno, teaching classes in Culinology®-the blending of culinary arts and the science of food. For more information, call 559/278-2164 or contact Klaus Tenbergen at ktenbergen@csu-fresno.edu.