Bakingfilter: how do I do it?
March 18, 2012 8:50 PM   Subscribe

Inventing a recipe: how do I know if something will bake solid?

I'm trying to cook up nice healthy homemade protein bars. And I don't really bake. Like, ever.

So I'm trying to figure out what properties of a recipe will cause something to turn into a nice solid baked thing, as opposed to a horrid burned thing or a horrid mush. Been looking at recipes like these and tweaking things to suit my own preferences.

What I notice is that the baking recipes all have some kind of dairy thing, or milk-like thing (milk powder, soy milk, etc.). Is that necessary?

Also, what does baking soda/baking powder (are they different) do? Since it has "baking" in the name I assume it must be important. CLUELESS PERSON HERE.

Also, what's the function of flour? Some have it, some don't.

And can I use lots of eggs/egg whites without disaster?

thanks!
posted by paultopia to Food & Drink (11 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
I think you want this: The Ratio Chart
posted by cali at 9:15 PM on March 18, 2012 [2 favorites]


- The dairy provides protein and some carbs. It may not be strictly necessary, but it is a source of nutrients.

- You don't need baking powder or baking soda in a protein bar. Those are leavening agents that are meant to create baked goods that rise (muffins, cakes, biscuits, etc.) Taking a quick look at your linked recipes for protein bars, I didn't see any using these items.

- Flour is a binding agent. Without any leavening agent, it will produce a more solid product, with no air pockets or fluffiness. It also has a fair carb content, so people who want more protein and less carbs in their results will tend to skip or reduce it.

- Eggs and egg whites will also work as leavening agents, making the result a little more airy and chewable.

Personally, I find most protein bars to be pretty vile, and those that taste good, like Clif Bars, are really just cake with some more protein and added vitamins. But if you are in a situation where you want dry, portable and easily eaten food, sure, try tweaking those recipes you linked.

Alternatively, look for a good, dense cookie recipe and augment it with protein powder and egg whites, and maybe some nuts, while keeping ratios in mind for a dense rather than cakey cookie. This discussion may help you out. See these last two paragraphs:
By the opposite logic, what you want to do for a dense cookie is allow the dough time to relax and settle into a denser configuration. So, do everything slowly, including the baking process (take the heat down a bit: if it says 350°, try 325° or 300°). This should give you a denser cookie.

Also, some additives keep the dough from changing shape. I make oatmeal cookies a lot, and the oatmeal (some of which I reserve until the last minute to prevent it from soaking up all the moisture and getting soggy) holds the structure intact somewhat. If you want a really dense cookie, go for a more plain dough like a standard chocolate chip or a sugar cookie, mix thoroughly, and even let it rest for 10 minutes before dropping.
This discussion may also help. The asker is trying to make their own version of a Clif bar.
posted by maudlin at 9:25 PM on March 18, 2012 [1 favorite]


Eggs also act as a binding agent i.e. help it all stick together. You also wouldn't be able to use unlimited amounts of eggs because you'd eventually end up making custard.
posted by mmascolino at 9:58 PM on March 18, 2012


Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leaveners, i.e. they add a chemically-enabled release of gas which will help inflate/raise the baked good. Since they operate through chemistry, you should know that baking soda is the alkaline half of the formula, and needs an acid to activate it. (There's also some heat activation during baking.) So if using Soda, the rest of the dough/batter/mixture should be slightly acidic. Baking powder is a mix of the baking soda (alkaline) and tartaric acid (um, acidic). Once it gets wet, it starts releasing bubbles. Leavening ensues.

These chemicals are used in cake, quickbreads (think muffins), and cookies. When yeast is being used, you generally leave these chemicals out, and let yeast do the work.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:03 PM on March 18, 2012


One thing I like to look at when thinking about inventing recipes is this: Three Chips for Sister Martha. In it, the host AB takes the basic Toll House recipe and tweaks it to cause different textures. Note the changes, and the results. Think about each item inside a cookie as it reacts to heat Butter releases steam, leaveners release gas, egg slowly binds things-- the amounts change the outcome of the cookie-- does it run flat before it inflates? Does it puff up before there's time for structural support from the egg? Experimentation is the key. Sometimes an expensive key.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:07 PM on March 18, 2012 [3 favorites]


You might also want to check out the Good Eats episode "Power Trip."
posted by Marky at 10:36 PM on March 18, 2012 [3 favorites]


If you have a public library by you, take a peek at the intro chapter of Bakewise -- it'll explain what ingrediants do what and why. It's REALLY user friendly and very, very accessible.
posted by spunweb at 11:27 PM on March 18, 2012


A quick note about eggs as leavening agents. This is really only the case if you beat (whisk or aggressively stir) the eggs. Beating them traps air in the eggs (or egg whites) which they hold as the eggs are incorporated into the batter, thus leavening the batter.

So, you can add eggs without adding significant volume if you don't beat the eggs. (you can still stir the batter with eggs in it, the aeration comes from beating the eggs before mixing it into the thicker batter ingredients).

Also, wheat flour will generally produce a denser product than white flour, while being more nutritious. So, you might want to experiment with that. (The flavor will, obviously, differ significantly.)
posted by oddman at 7:30 AM on March 19, 2012


Sugars and fats will tend to keep things moist and tender. A dairy item can serve the role of a fat. Eggs will bind and enrich. Flours will bind, unless you have too much then it crumbles. Baking soda will make baked goods light and airy but it likes to have an acidic ingredient to help it make gas (think the vinegar/soda volcano). Baking powder is much like soda but it has an acidic ingredient that activates when wet. Proteins in general tend to be a binding agent (egg, gluten, some forms of milk)

What binds a cookie: the combo of egg and flour
What binds a granola bar: a combo of a little bit of starch and liquid sugar (corn syrup), even for the crunchy kind
what binds sandwich bread: the development of the protein in the flour into stringy masses, set into action by water and kneading.
What binds something like tigersmilk bars: I can only guess the protein from dried milk. If you mix peanut butter and dried milk together, they make a sticky mass. However, I don't know if it would bake up dry and bound. I think it requires some water to help it out.
posted by Foam Pants at 2:57 PM on March 19, 2012


This book is super helpful if you want to create your own recipes. If you just want to make a homemade power bar, then there are a million recipes on the interwebs.
posted by mrfuga0 at 7:48 PM on March 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


That last link goes to an adorable Dora the Explorer hat. Did you mean Bakewise?
posted by maudlin at 9:06 PM on March 19, 2012


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