Oven terminology

Q: Some baking books use oven terminology instead of degrees, such as bake in moderate oven. What temperature range is “moderate?”
Pete, via e-mail

A: Here are the relevant oven temperature ranges:
Very slow oven — 250°F to 275°F
Slow oven — 300°F to 325°F
Moderate oven — 350°F to 375°F
Hot oven — 400°F to 425°F
Very hot oven — 450°F to 475°F
Extremely hot oven — 500°F to 525°F

Q: What is the number engraved on the handles of portion control scoops?
M.S., Bellevue, Wash.

A: The number of the scoop indicates the number of level scoopfuls it takes to make one quart. The following gives an approximate measure for each scoop:

Scoop No.	Measure
6	2/3 cup
8	½ cup
10	3/8 cup
12	1/3 cup
16	¼ cup
20	3 1/3 Tbsp
24	2 ¾ Tbsp
30	2 Tbsp
40	1 2/3 Tbsp
50	3 ¾ tsp
60	3 ¼ tsp
70	2 ¾ tsp
100	2 tsp

Healthful breads

Q: We are constantly looking for ingredients to incorporate into our healthful breads. Do you have any suggestions?
Tom, via e-mail

A: I have been experimenting with triticale, a grain that was created by crossing rye and durum wheat. Its kernels are longer than wheat seeds and are plumper than rye. Its color can range from the tan of wheat to the gray-brown color of rye. Triticale features the best qualities of both rye and durum wheat with better properties than both grains. I am successfully using equal part of triticale and bread flour with great results. Treat the dough with care as kneading it excessively can damage triticale's delicate gluten structure.

Q: We made a new dessert with fresh pineapple and gelatin, but it did not set up. What did we do wrong?
Sydney, via e-mail

A: Some fresh fruits, such as pineapple and papaya, contain proteolytic enzymes like bromelin, which hydrolyse gelatin and destroys its gelling ability. In such cases, it is essential that you cook the fruit to destroy the protease before adding it to gelatin.

Q: Many bakeries are using “fancy” or foreign words to describe their breads. What fancy word can we use for a small baguette?
P.S., Honolulu

A: The word bâtonnet, which literally means small stick in French, may be the best word for your purpose. In the language of food, it has several meanings—a loaf of bread that is shorter than a baguette, a vegetable or a pastry that is shaped similarly to a stubby stick, and vegetables that are cut into small sticks. Occasionally, I've also seen it simply as bâton.

Working with royal icing

Q: How can we prevent a crust from forming when making royal icing? We cover the icing, but what else can we do?
P.C. Boston, Mass.

A: To prevent a crust from forming on the icing's surface, add a few drops of glycerol/glycerin, a sugar alcohol and softening agent. Glycerol/glycerin is a sweet, odorless, clear and syrupy liquid, available from your supplier.

Q: We are trying to convert a formula, but don't know how to convert drops and dashes to larger units. Do you know how many drops are in a dash?
Teresa, via e-mail

A: I hope this helps:
6 drops = 1 dash
24 drops = 4 dashes = 1/4 tsp
48 drops = 8 dashes = 1/2 tsp
96 drops = 16 dashes = 1 tsp
73,728 drops = 12,288 dashes = 1 gallon

Q: Do you know what sweetener has the most calories per tablespoon?
M.A., Washington, D.C.

A: Granulated sugar has 46 calories, brown sugar has 50 calories, maple syrup has 53 calories, and honey has 64 calories.

Q: Every week we accumulate an excess amount of egg whites. Can you provide a basic meringue formula?
D.B., Cleveland

A: I've found this formula to work well.

Meringue

Ingredients	Lbs.	Ozs.	Metric
Egg whites	2	3.25	1 L
Granulated sugar, fine	2	10.25	1.2 kg
Confectioners' sugar	1	12.25	800 g
Salt	pinch		1 g
Vanilla	dash		5 ml
Total appr. wt.	6	9.75	3.006 kg

Method: Whip the egg whites with the salt and half of the granulated sugar. Gradually add the remaining granulated sugar until the batter is at full peak. Fold the flavoring and the confectioners' sugar into the batter. Pipe the batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Dry overnight in a 265°F (130°C) oven, open damper, with the heat off. You may want to keep the oven doors apart, as too much heat will brown the meringues and the sugar will crystallize. For a twist, add 14 ozs. (400 g) of lightly toasted, ground hazelnuts. Yield: 80 1.25 oz. (37.5 g) pieces

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.