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kitchen travesties.
my friend and i were talking about how we like it when people post their kitchen travesties. normally, food bloggers are all about the "look at me, look at me" and aren't forthcoming about the messes that are created. so when i read a recent post by la mia cucina, i was inspired to share.
you know i'm getting a late start on everything this year and that includes my baking. i am sending my family some treats and decided to begin my annual foray with a new brownie recipe posted on the "good food" site courtesy of john scharffenberger, who i think i have almost forgiven for selling his company to hershey. this recipe was going to be a big step in that direction.
however. i substituted pastry flour for all-purpose flour and topped off the brownies with bittersweet chocolate chips. it all went wrong. i don't know why i don't come to terms with substituting flours. i do this all the time and then wonder à la mike lafontaine: in "a mighty wind," "wha'happened?" they brownies didn't cook up at all, got all bubbly on top and left unattractive little holes all over, though my better half said they taste great.
note to self: cooking is chemistry, stop experimenting (when it counts)! if anyone has found a useful master index on how to convert flours, please share. the ones i have found do not help me in my quest.
next up:
- chez panisse gingersnaps — always a big hit. i want to add crystallized ginger. thoughts?
- pumpkin oatmeal cookies — the old standby.
- molasses + brown butter cream sandwich cookies — new recipe to me.
- spice bread — another new recipe to me. from the book wolfie sent me (thanks, wolfie!).
so now, i'm another day behind, but i was feeling confident because i could pack and ship from my doorstep, but discovered the post office's "free package pick-up" holiday helper tip i mentioned earlier is bogus. apparently, one of your packages must be of either the "overnight guaranteed, two- or three-day, and international" variety to qualify. bah humbug!
photo credit (of what brownies should look like): martha stewart.
December 19, 2006 in cooking. | Permalink
Comments
i did the whole flour substitution thing a few times myself... with much the same results as yours. i'm a cook not a baker, and as a result, i've learned to leave well enough alone when it comes to baking.
apparently, the little bit of gluten that develops because of agitating a-p flour with wet ingredients is necessary for the brownies to have a proper crumb structure or something... like i said, i am a cook, so i might be talking out my a*s here.
the molasses and brown butter cookies sound mighty interesting though. i might have to give those a whirl.
Posted by: Julia Sexson | Dec 19, 2006 10:37:35 AM
Yeah. I didn't want to ruin your high hopes of package pick up. I don't trust 'em. I do not recommend substitutions. Just saying.
Posted by: justJENN | Dec 19, 2006 4:56:25 PM
Those cookies on the list sound fabulous! I made gingersnaps with chocolate coating this week and had no one to give them to :( So I had to eat them!
I listen to Good Food on the weekends too! I'm still mad at Sharfenburger BTW.
Posted by: riana | Dec 19, 2006 11:55:55 PM
I tasted some gingersnaps that had raw sugar and crystalized ginger baked on top. They were fantastic. So, I say yes to that idea :)
Posted by: Stephanie | Dec 20, 2006 5:15:52 PM
You should have used my recipe! :-) I think it's ok to substitute a little whole grain pastry flour into most baked goods - up to half, especially with cookies or whole grain muffins - but you have to have that fine grain to make cakey items like brownies come out with the right texture. That recipe also sounds pretty darn dense -with only two eggs and a quarter cup of flour it would most likely be flat as a pancake no matter what!
Posted by: Alice Q. Foodie | Dec 21, 2006 8:57:17 AM
