The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion The All Purpose

Baking Cookbook 1st Edition

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Acknowledgments
This book is the realization of a decade-long dream by baking visionary P.
J. Hamel, senior writer and editor at King Arthur Flour. This book, these
recipes, the patiently described techniques, and the friendly take-you-by-
the-hand tone are in large part her handiwork. P. J. was ably accompanied
by her team of bakers and writers in Norwich, Vermont, and by Brinna
Sands, another visionary, inveterate baker, and prolific writer on all things
baking related. Brinna has been a part of the King Arthur family since 1976,
and in 1990 authored The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook.
P. J. and Brinna’s dedication to the gentle art of making someone a
homemade loaf of bread, or cookies, brownies, pie, muffins, cake, or other
piece of love, is a true inspiration.
The book you hold in your hands was a true company-wide project, and
recipes flowed from all corners. It is a testament to the hard work and
contributions of all of King Arthur’s 150+ employee-owners. After the
recipes were chosen, they were tested, and tested, and tested yet again in
King Arthur’s kitchens. Baker/writer Susan Reid, with the assistance of
Robby Kuit and Teresa Griffith, tweaked, and massaged, and refined the
recipes until they were just right. Susan took up the slack all along the way,
doing whatever needed doing—from writing headnotes, to compiling and
checking lists of ingredient weights, she smoothed what often seemed a
bumpy road. Publications manager Toni Apgar coordinated this year-long
effort and, in the process, gently rode herd on our stable of baker/writers. In
addition, the following people made invaluable contributions: Test kitchen
director Sue Gray; artisan bakers Richard and Stephanie Miscovich; Master
Baker Jeffrey Hamelman; Susan Miller, who runs our Baking Education
Center; Cindy Fountain, who runs The Baker’s Store in Norwich, Vermont;
Michael Jubinsky and Judy Ulinski, who over the years have taught a
quarter-million students through our national baking classes; Shannon
Zappala, who has tirelessly worked to elevate King Arthur Flour’s position
on the food world map; Janet Matz, our art director; and Robyn Sargent, Ali
Scheier, Jen Korhonen, Starr Kilgore, Emmy Zietz, Jane Korhonen, Robin
Rice, and Brenda Hickory. Thanks are also due to President Steve Voigt, for
encouraging us along the way, and for allowing us the time and resources to
develop this manuscript.

BRENDA HICKORY

The bakers at King Arthur Flour

And to our editor at The Countryman Press, Kermit Hummel, we also
say a great big thanks, because his enthusiasm for this project from day one
saw us through the inevitable tough times. He always believed this would
be the wonderful book it is. We now count him as a friend as well as an
editor. We appreciate the sage advice of W.W. Norton editor Maria
Guarnaschelli, who assisted us in developing this book’s outline.
Finally, we’d like to dedicate this book to John Sheldon, our long-time
catalogue photographer and colleague. His pictures grace these pages; his
talent carries us ever upward; his friendship enriches our lives.
We wish you all warm bread from the oven whenever you want it.

THE KING ARTHUR FLOUR COMPANY, INC.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

A NOTE ON MEASURING

HIGH-ALTITUDE BAKING

BREAKFASTS

FRIED DOUGHS

QUICK BREADS

BUCKLES, COBBLERS, AND CRISPS

CRACKERS AND FLATBREADS

YEAST BREADS

SOURDOUGH

COOKIES AND BARS

CAKES

PIES, TARTS, AND QUICHES

PASTRY AND VIENNOISERIE

INGREDIENTS

TOOLS
INDEX
Introduction
Why, in today’s fast-paced world of food-at-your-fingertips and instant
gratification, would anyone want to bake? Packaged cookies and boxed
crackers at the grocery store taste pretty good and are well within most
people’s financial reach—why bake your own? Artisan bread bakeries have
opened up on every other street corner; the bakers there produce fresh bread
daily. Why bake bread at home? A stroll into the bakery section of the local
club store will yield you a personalized birthday cake, instantly, for less
money than it takes to feed a family of four at a fast food chain—why take
the time to make and decorate a birthday cake for a child?
Because store-bought is, at best, a shallow substitute for homemade. Do
you like fudgy brownies (not cakey!), with a thin, shiny crust, a hint of
espresso, and a swirl of raspberry icing? You can’t buy them; you have to
bake them. Do you want less salt, or more? Do you like your coffeecake
less sweet? Your chocolate chip cookies crunchy or chewy? Tailor these
recipes to your own nutritional needs and tastes, without making them taste
like cardboard. Do you dislike the long list of multisyllabic additives and
chemicals on the label of that frozen chocolate cake you buy for the kids?
You are what you eat; take control of your life (and theirs), and let them eat
cake—your cake. The scent of hot yeast bread gently wafting through the
kitchen, a comforting aroma as old as time itself, is reason enough to bake
your own bread.
But what if you never learned to bake? Or you learned, but haven’t been
totally satisfied with the results? You may not have had Grandma gently
guiding your hands as you rolled out your first pie crust; and even if you
did, perhaps you’ve forgotten most of what she showed you. That’s where
The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion comes in. In this book you’ll
find the recipes and solid information you need to become a top-notch
baker, one who makes the lightest, most tender pancakes, a dark, gutsy
chocolate cake, and an apple pie that’ll bring a grown person to tears. You’ll
make oatmeal cookies better than any you’ve ever tasted, even those from
that fancy cookie shop at the mall; your yeast breads will rival those of the
local bakery, at one-tenth the price. In short, you’ll learn (or realize once
more) the pleasure of baking for your family and friends, and the
satisfaction that comes from using your imagination and skill to create
baked goods that feed not just the body, but the soul.
Let this book be your companion as you walk a path followed by bakers
from hundreds of cultures for thousands of years. You’re a link in a limitless
line of bakers: the sticky bun recipe you pass along to your son or daughter
today will continue to be shared long after you’re gone. And the guiding
hand you place atop a friend’s, as she kneads her first batch of bread dough,
will in turn be placed atop her grandchild’s someday. We here at King
Arthur Flour take our responsibility to the bakers of America seriously; as
America’s oldest flour company, founded in 1790, we are committed both
to preserving our country’s baking heritage, and helping to forge its future.
You are an integral part of that future.
Come with us now into the kitchen, and let’s bake.

P. J. HAMEL, BRINNA SANDS, TONI APGAR,

and THE BAKERS at KING ARTHUR FLOUR
A Note on Measuring
Butter the size of an egg? A cup of flour or 100 grams of sugar? Measuring
is one of those things we don’t think about until we’re slightly stymied, or
until we open a British cookbook, or perhaps one from Europe, or maybe
our grandmother’s. There are, of course, a number of systems for
measuring, some pretty out of date, some unique to the United States, and
one that’s pretty universal. Measuring has always been somewhat of an
interpretive business.
But measuring goes beyond the devices you use to determine how much
of what goes into a recipe. Thermometers, both in your drawer and in your
oven, are measuring devices. So is your timer, and the thermostat in your
kitchen. So is a barometer, hygrometer, and altimeter. When you’re aware
that bread rises quicker when the barometer is falling (it’s good to bake on a
rainy day), that flour “shrinks” in the winter because it’s dry so you may
need less of it (flour absorbs or sheds moisture depending on humidity), or
that you’ll need less yeast and baking powder if you live at 8,000 feet,
you’ll begin to understand all the variables you need to consider when you
bake. You may find that you can make something successfully at home,
time after time; but take the same recipe and try it in another kitchen with
other equipment and you may have a very different result. Measuring cups
and spoons, scales, humidity, altitude, and temperature all have an impact
on the results of your efforts.

Our System of Measuring

Our American system of weights and measures was based originally on the
British system, but they have developed differently from each other in the
past two centuries. Although in 1959 English-speaking scientists agreed to
use the metric system for scientific and technological purposes, that’s been
of little use to bakers.
In the early 1800s, Americans began to substitute volume measurements
for weight, probably because a “teacup” or an “egg” as bases for
measurement were easier to come by than an accurate scale, especially on
the trail west. A “knob” of butter, “butter the size of an egg,” even “alum
the size of a cherry,” are measurements that are sprinkled through old
cookbooks. In earlier times, “receipts” for baked goods were based on these
fairly rough ingredient guidelines that led to very individualized results.
Baking success was dependent on an accumulation of experience.
Today we try to re-create recipes accurately, without eliminating an
individual’s touch. Just as your speech has a personality of its own, so
should your baking. But as we try to become more accurate, our tradition of
volume measuring can leave us short because volume measurements are
prone to wide variations (a “cup” of flour can weigh anywhere between 4
and 5½ ounces, and the measuring cups themselves can legally vary up to
12 percent). Measuring by weight is much more consistent and accurate.

Measuring Flour
At King Arthur Flour, we’ve held a long debate about what a “cup” of flour
weighs. In the past, for simplicity’s sake, we called it 4 ounces. You can, in
fact, create a 4-ounce cup of flour by sifting the flour first. The sifting
process incorporates a lot of air into the flour, which is the first source of
leavening. Scooping flour, which can produce a much heavier cup (up to 5½
ounces), will obviously contain less air and more flour. You can also fluff
up flour in your flour bag, sprinkle it gently into your measuring cup, scrape
the top with a straight edge, and get close to 4 ounces, but you probably will
get a little bit more.
Our preferred weight for a cup of flour is 4¼ ounces, and that’s what
we’ve used throughout the book. This is closer to the standard weight that
bakers use. It makes calculating total ounces a little more difficult, but in all
of the recipes we’ve done the calculating for you. This discussion would be
much easier if we’d stop relying on measuring cups and start using the
scale. But since the old volume system of measurement is still pretty
standard, we’re using it along with weight measurements.
Measuring Devices
• Our first plea is that you buy and use a scale (see Tools, p. 601).

• For volume or weight measuring, have on hand a couple of sets of

measuring spoons. It’s easier to measure small amounts—a teaspoon, a
tablespoon—with spoons even if you have a scale. There are some sets
available that measure from ⅛ teaspoon through ½ to 1 tablespoon. There
are also sets containing odd sizes. It’s useful to have more than one set
(see Tools, p. 599).

• Have two kinds of measuring cups, one that measures flush at the top
edge for dry ingredients and one that has a lip at the top for liquids. There
are some liquid measures available that also have metric measurements
on one side. These can be useful when using cookbooks from other parts
of the world.

• Other important measuring devices are thermometers and timers (see

Tools, pp. 600 and 601). Because ovens have their own personalities, a
thermometer that helps you know what’s going on inside is important.
Oven temperatures can vary considerably, as can oven thermostats, which
drive how long your oven “cools” before the heating element kicks in
again. Thermometers can also measure the temperature of a dough,
batters, syrups, and finished goods.

• Even with the most accurate of measurements, such variables as

humidity, altitude, the fat content of the milk you use, the mineral content
of your water, all are going to affect your baking. Ultimately your eyes
and hands, when they have had enough experience, will make many of
your measuring decisions.

Measuring Hints
Make sure that you know what you’re supposed to be measuring, for
example, 1 pound of apples, chopped, or 1 pound of chopped apple. The
former is apples weighed before they’ve been chopped—with skins and
cores. The latter is skinned, cored, chopped apple.

Measuring by Volume
• When measuring flour by volume, fluff up the flour, sprinkle into your
dry-cup measure (the one that measures exactly a cup at the top), and
scrape off the excess with a straight edge (a metal flour scoop with a
straight edge allows you to scoop and sweep with one hand). This will get
you approximately 4¼ ounces. (See illustrations on next page.)

• When measuring other dry ingredients such as sugar by volume, overfill

your dry-cup measure and scrape off the excess with a straight edge.

• Measure light or dark brown sugar by packing it into your measuring cup.

• To measure a solid fat (butter, vegetable shortening, or lard) in a

measuring cup, use one that is significantly larger than the amount you
want to measure. For example, to measure 1 cup of butter, fill a 2-cup
liquid measure up to the 1-cup mark with cold water. Push butter into the
water until the water reaches the 2-cup mark, which will give you 1 cup
of butter. Drain the fat thoroughly. Alternatively, use a measuring cup
specifically designed for measuring sticky substances (see Tools, p. 599).

• If you need to measure a liquid sweetener or peanut butter, spray the

inside of your measuring cup lightly with a vegetable oil spray first. That
will make it easier to get the sweetener out of the cup. (If the recipe calls
for a vegetable oil or other liquid fat, just measure that in the cup before
you measure the sweetener, you’ll get the same result.)
1
Stir the flour to fluff it up . . .

2
. . . sprinkle it into the measuring cup . . .
3
. . . and sweep off the excess with the straight edge of the
scoop.

Measuring by Weight
Weighing ingredients is a more accurate way of determining amounts than
measuring by volume. When it comes to volume measurements, there are
many variables that can affect actual amounts. Measuring cups and spoons
can vary significantly, as we’ve discovered over and over in our test
kitchen. Cooks everywhere use varying techniques, and one person’s idea
of “full” or “packed” is usually different from the next person’s.
Ingredient weights can vary significantly, also. Flour weighs less in
some climates where the air is drier, than it does in others, where it’s humid.
It also varies from summer to winter. Raisins from an opened box that’s
been in the pantry or refrigerator for months won’t weigh as much as fresh
ones. Vegetables and berries can have a wide range of water contents, so
they may weigh different amounts at any given time. You get the idea.
This chart gives average weights for commonly used amounts given in
recipes. It can help you plan your shopping, as well as being handy if you
want to convert recipes to significantly larger amounts.

Weights in Ounces for Recipes

28.35 grams per ounce
ITEM MEASUREMENT WEIGHT IN OUNCES

Almonds, sliced ½ cup 1½

Apples, dried, diced 1 cup 3
Apples, peeled, sliced 1 cup 7
Apricots, dried, diced ½ cup 2¼
Baking powder 1 tablespoon ½
Berries, frozen 1 cup 5
Butter ½ cup, 1 stick 4
Buttermilk, yogurt 2 tablespoons
(⅛ cup) 1
Bread crumbs
(dried, seasoned or plain) ¼ cup 1
Caramel, 14–16 individual pieces ½ cup 5
Carrots, grated 1 cup 3½
Cheese, cheddar, grated 1 cup 4
Feta 1 cup 4
Ricotta 1 cup 8
Parmesan, grated ½ cup 1¾
Chocolate, chopped 1 cup 6
Chocolate chips 1 cup 6
Cocoa, unsweetened 2 tablespoons ⅜
¼ cup ¾
1 cup 3
Coconut, grated, unsweetened 1 cup 4
Coconut, sweetened flakes 1 cup 3
Coffee powder 2 teaspoons ⅛
Cornmeal 1 cup 4⅞
Corn syrup 1 cup 11
Cornstarch ¼ cup 1
Cranberries, dried ½ cup 2
Cranberries, fresh 1 cup 3½
Currants 1 cup 5¼
Dates 1 cup 5¼
Dough Enhancer 2 tablespoons ⅝
Dough Relaxer 2 tablespoons ⅝
Egg white, fresh 1 large 1¼
Flour
Unbleached, all-purpose flour 1 cup 4¼
Bread flour 1 cup 4¼
Cake flour 1 cup 4
Pastry flour 1 cup 4
Potato flour ¼ cup 1½
Pumpernickel flour 1 cup 4
Semolina 1 cup 5¾
Whole wheat/graham flour 1 cup 5¼
White whole wheat flour 1 cup 5
Garlic, minced 2 tablespoons 1
Garlic, peeled and sliced 1 cup 5¼
Ginger, crystallized ½ cup 3¼
⅓ cup 2¼
Ginger, fresh, sliced ¼ cup 2
Honey 1 tablespoon ¾

Instant Clearjel® 1 tablespoon ⅜

Jam or preserves ¼ cup 3

⅔ cup 7¼
Lard ½ cup 4
Maple sugar ½ cup 2¾
Maple syrup ½ cup 5½
Meringue powder ¼ cup 1½
Milk 1 cup 8
Milk, dry ¼ cup 1¼
Molasses ¼ cup 3
Mushrooms, sliced 1 cup 2¾
Oats, rolled or thick flakes 1 cup 3½
Oil, vegetable 1 cup 7
Olives, sliced 1 cup 5
Onions, baking (french-fried) ½ cup 1⅜
Onions, fresh, chopped 1 cup 5
Peanut butter ½ cup 4¾
Pecans, diced ½ cup 1⅞
1 cup 3¾
Pineapple, dried ½ cup 2½
Pine nuts ½ cup 2½
Praline or pistachio paste ½ cup 5½
Pumpkin, canned 1 cup 9½
Raisins, loose 1 cup 5¼
Raisins, packed ½ cup 3
Rhubarb, fresh, medium dice 1 cup 4¼
Sesame seeds ½ cup 2½
Scallions, sliced 1 cup 2¼
Shallots, peeled and sliced 1 cup 5½
Sour cream 1 cup 8
Sugar, granulated white 1 cup 7
⅔ cup 4¾
Sugar, confectioners’, unsifted 2 cups 8
Sugar, dark or light brown, packed 1 cup 8
Sugar, Demerara 1 cup 7¾
Sun-dried tomatoes (dry pack) 1 cup 6
Sunflower seeds ¼ cup 1¼
Tapioca flour ¼ cup 1¼
Tapioca, quick-cooking 2 tablespoons ¾
Vegetable shortening ½ cup 3¼
Walnuts, whole ½ cup 2¼
chopped 1 cup 4
Water ⅓ cup 2⅝
⅔ cup 5¾
1 cup 8