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

A: Various factors can affect how much fat 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 too high of a temperature. 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: 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.

Q: What is baking ammonia used for?
Claudia, via e-mail

A: Ammonium bicarbonate (NH₄HCO₃), also known as hartshorn, is used in baking as a leavening agent. It comes in powdered form and often was used before the introduction of baking soda. Today, many bakers still use it in Christmas baking and often for cream puff shells.

Q: When making fermented dough, we end up with bluish-black spots on the dough. What causes this?
Darlene, via e-mail

A: One of the possible causes is you have undispersed yeast colonies in the dough, which die and release ammonia that discolors the dough. Use some of the liquid to rehydrate and dissolve the yeast completely before adding it to the other ingredients. Also, you may want to increase the mixing time by a minute or two.

Q: We found a very interesting formula for pound cakes. It does not contain any chemical leavening agent. Is there something missing?
Stephen, via e-mail

A: Pound cake normally contains no added leavening agent. The leavening comes from the creaming of the fat and sugar as well as the incorporated eggs.

Q: What is used to dip pretzels in small retail bakeries?
Andrew, via e-mail

A: I like using 99 percent sodium hydroxide (NaOH) flaxes in a 3.5 percent saturated solution, which also is known as lye or caustic soda. Dissolve 35 g of caustic soda in 1 L water or 1 oz. of caustic soda in 2 pints of water. If caustic soda is not available, dissolve 1 oz. baking soda in 35 ozs. water. Dissolve in a non-aluminum pot and bring to a boil. Gently lower the pretzels into the brine for about a minute or until they float to the surface, at which point they are ready to be baked.

Q: When making meringues, it takes forever to whisk the egg whites. What are we doing wrong?
C.O., Vancouver, Canada

A: When it takes too long to whisk egg whites, several potential mistakes come to mind:

• The egg whites were too cold. They should be at room temperature before whisking.
• The bowl or whisk was slightly greasy. Both must be cleaned with hot water and soap and rinsed with cold water.
• A little of the egg yolk remains. The fat in the yolk inhibits the egg whites from producing good foam.

Q: We make an awesome cake with dried fruits, but most of the time all the fruit sinks to the bottom of the cake. What are we doing wrong?
C.W., Baltimore

A: If the fruit is wet or damp, toss it in a little flour. Also, if the cake batter is too soft, the batter will not support the weight of the fruit. Additionally, too much leavening agent will make the fruit sink to the bottom of the cake.

Q: What temperature adjustments do I have to make when I work at higher/different altitude?
C.V., Denver

A: Here are some general guidelines:

Altitude	Temperature
3,000 ft (900 m)	+ 25°F (5°C)
5,000 ft (1.5 km)	+ 50°F (10°C)
7,000 ft (2.1 km)	+ 50°F (10°C)
10,000 ft (3 km)	+ 50°F (10°C)

Q: We bought a bakery and the equipment is rather old. Many of our cookies burn on the bottom while baking. We tried adjusting the temperatures, but it did not make any difference. What else can we do to solve the problem?
Thomas, via e-mail

A: Simply put a second sheet pan under the first sheet. This will take some of the direct bottom heat away.

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		900 g	90
Bread flour		3.5	100 g	10
Butter		2	60 g	6
All-purpose shortening		2	60 g	6
Granulated sugar		2	60 g	6
Honey		2	60 g	6
Compressed yeast		3	80 g	8
Whole eggs		2	50 ml	5
Salt		0.5	12 g	1.2
Whole milk		10.5	300 ml	30
Water		10.5	300 ml	30
Raisins		5.5	160 g	16
Hazelnuts, ground and toasted		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 that 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
All-purpose shortening	1
Confectioners' sugar	4
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: 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.

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.