"Allen Cohn" <allen@cohnzone.com> wrote:
>Bread dough is full of water so it really can't get above the
>boiling point of water (212F) unless all the water has been baked
>out. (That would be bad.
>
>So, you're shooting for a temperature above the point that
>the starch is cooked (gelatinized) and below the boiling point of water.
>
>In practice that means that soft breads like brioche are
>done around 185-195F and lean breads like a crusty rustic bread are
>done around 200-208F.
>
>PS: I've always wondered if cakes can be checked for doneness the
>same way.... I suspect some bakers do.
Allen, I totally agree with you though yesterday I couldn't resist
trying to 'overbake' the "no knead bread" in an effort to avoid that
clamy quality it gets. After it reached 208F I continued to bake it
out of the pot for 10 minutes and then with the oven off for 30
minutes. It helped a little though my husband said he never found it
too moist (everyone else including me seems to!)
As for cake, absolutely I use temperature especially for those cakes
with crumbs on top where it's very difficult to test by feel. Most
cakes are about the same as bread--minimum 190F maximum 205F but
since it depends on the specific cake I've listed the temperature for
each in my upcoming book. Now I'll have to check and see if there's a
corrolation between lean versus richer though I suspect with cakes I
think of it more as airy versus dense which is probably the same
thing as richer cakes ARE more dense! And now to make some cakes for
Memorial Day breakfast--blueberry pancakes!