Q: What can we do to upscale our pastries?
Carmen, via e-mail
A: Applying edible gold and silver leaves, flakes, or sprinkles is a centuries-old tradition of adorning food and drink as a symbol of respect and hospitality. Gold or silver used on food must never be touched by your hands and should not come in contact with humidity or steam. All of these products can be heated in the oven up to 480°F or frozen without affecting their appearance. A rather expensive, but cool, way to decorate.

Q: During last year’s holiday season, we used a large amount of chestnuts. While baking them in the oven, most of them burst. How do we prevent this?
E.J., Olympia, Wash.
A: To bake chestnuts, cut a small X with a knife on the flat side of the shell. Spread the nuts on a sheet pan, and bake them at 375ºF for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and peel while they are still warm by “scrunching” the shell between your hands. This will help make the pellicle–the thin brown layer between the nut and the shell–easier to remove. Once the chestnuts are baked, you can freeze them.

Q: We are using “fresh” yeast for our bread production. What is the “real” name is for this kind of yeast?
S.H., Whalehead, N.C.
A: Compressed yeast, active fresh yeast, cake yeast, baker’s compressed yeast, wet yeast or fresh yeast are interchangeable and vary by manufacturer and region.
Source: Cookie and Cracker Technology by Samuel A. Matz, Springer Publishing Co.

Q: We are making a bread that uses a rather large amount of yellow cormmeal. The end product is great; however, we don’t like the crunchiness of the cornmeal. How can we solve the problem without changing the formula?
Pat, via e-mail
A: I have used the following guideline with great results. I divide the needed cornmeal in the formula into two equal portions. One portion I leave alone, and I make a soaker with the other half. I “soak” each pound of corn meal with 2.5 pints of boiling water. Combine the two portions, and cool for at least three hours. This will soften the cornmeal. The end result is baked products with a higher yield, a moister interior and a longer shelf life.

Q: What influences the shelf life of baked products?
H.S., Littleton, Colo.
A: Shelf life depends on many factors, among them the initial moisture content of the product, composition and water activity, enrobing, packaging material and integrity of seals, and ambient conditions. But other factors also need to be considered: distribution and storage, protection against light, refrigeration and absorption of external gasses (oxygen, water vapor or odorous fumes).
Source: Cookie and Cracker Technology by Samuel A. Matz, Springer Publishing Co.

Q: In many bread formulas, the amount of water is variable. Does the increase or decrease of water change the proportion of the formula?
J.Z., Ontario, Calif.
A: Water is considered variable when flour constitutes a substantial portion of the formula. This does not affect the stated proportions of other ingredients. Water will only change the consistency of the dough and the density of the baked bread.
Source: Cookie and Cracker Technology by Samuel A. Matz, Springer Publishing Co.

Q: How do I tint coconut or other ingredients without tinting my hands as well?
S.C., Red Bank, N.J.
A: Whenever I work with food color, I wear gloves. When tinting coconut, I recommend placing it in a re-sealable plastic bag, add the food color, normally combined with a few drops of water, and shake until the coconut is evenly coated.