Doughs, Flours, Starches and gluten
A baking-science reference on starches, sponge cakes, adding flour to tarts, and gluten development.
Ingredients
Instructions
STARCHES
- For baked goods and sponge cakes — replace 15–20% of the flour with potato starch.
- For creams and mousses — rice and corn starch.
- For dacquoise — wheat starch.
Starches are classified by their gelatinization — their gel formation. Potato starch has the largest granules, followed by wheat, then rice and corn.
SPONGE LAYERS
- Thin layers are baked for a short time at high temperature.
- Tall layers are baked slowly at low temperature.
ADDING FLOUR TO TARTS To insulate the gluten from the moisture, first add a little flour, make it into a cream with the other ingredients, and then add the rest.
GLUTEN The more a dough is worked, the more it shrinks after baking.