Ten answers to the most common questions about batter. How long does it take to batter and how to save it?
We all know about wreaths, pinwheels or profiteroles made from batter. We also like the cloud slices or Spanish fried churros. The dough for these treats is not complicated, but it has its important rules.
We will try to answer the most frequently asked questions about batter. What pitfalls can you face when preparing it and what can you bake with it?
How is burnt dough made?
Baked (battered) dough is made from liquid (water, milk or half and half), fat (oil, lard, butter or Hera), a pinch of salt, flour (plain, semi-coarse, coarse or wholemeal depending on the use) and eggs. First, bring the liquid with salt and fat to a boil in a small pot on the stove, pour in all the flour at once and mix over a low heat until the dough forms a compact mass that does not stick to the pot or wooden spoon.
How long does it take to knead the dough?
Once a whitish coating begins to form on the bottom of the pot, remove the pot of dough from the stove and let it cool.
Add the eggs one at a time to the lukewarm dough. Add the next one only when the previous one is completely combined with the dough. The dough is now ready to be shaped.
What should batter look like?
Properly prepared batter is smooth, lump-free, elastic, and soft enough to spread or pipe with a piping bag. It looks like a very thick mush. The batter is not sweetened, and can be filled with savory fillings.
How to save batter?
Too thick dough can be thinned with another egg or just the yolk. Thin dough cannot be saved, so the eggs are added gradually, thus controlling the density. It is better not to add another egg (or just the yolk). Thicker dough holds its shape better, although it takes more work to shape it. Adding more liquid or flour will not save the dough.
What is made from batter?
To make the cloud-shaped cookies, simply spread the dough in a thin layer on a baking sheet (or two, depending on the amount of dough) greased or lined with baking paper. After baking, fill them with vanilla pudding cream.
We spray wreaths, pinwheels, bananas, etc. with a piping bag with a cut tube on a baking sheet with baking paper. We place a template with pre-drawn shapes under the paper (preferably smaller and further apart, because they will expand a lot in the oven). After baking, we fill the wreaths with egg yolk cream, the pinwheels with caramel and classic whipped cream, the bananas with any cream or whipped cream. We decorate the surface with rum, fondant, caramel or chocolate icing.
For fried shapes like churros, you can spray the shapes onto parchment paper and transfer them to hot oil, or spray straight on and always cut off the required length. After frying, roll in sugar.
Profiteroles are small buns that are filled with whipped cream after baking and can be covered with chocolate. Filled profiteroles are used with caramel to make a festive cone-shaped dessert called crocquembouche.
For fruit dumplings, form a patty out of the dough and wrap a harder fruit (strawberry, half an apricot, etc.) in it. Cook the dumplings only briefly – about 5 minutes.
How are wreaths, pinwheels, and profiteroles baked?
We spray the wreaths in two rows above each other. We start spraying the pinwheels on the outer perimeter and continue to the center. We can spray small meringues on the profiteroles with a piping bag or we can place them using two coffee spoons.
How to store batter?
Raw dough cannot be stored, we work with it immediately.
What is the baking process?
Preheat the oven to 220-250 °C and insert the baking sheet with the shapes. Bake briskly for the first 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160-180 °C and bake for another 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the shapes. For at least the first 15 minutes, do not open the oven at all, as steam would escape and the pastry would sink hopelessly. Properly baked pastry is golden, hard on the surface and dry on the inside. Cut the lukewarm pastry with a serrated knife. It is tastiest right after filling.
Can batter be frozen?
Raw dough cannot be frozen, but baked shapes can be frozen. Shapes filled with whipped cream can be frozen. Shapes filled with custard cream cannot be frozen, as the custard will become thinner after defrosting.
The most common mistakes when preparing batter
If your pastry cracked in the oven, it was probably steamed too little (for a short time).
If the dough thickened during steaming and then did not rise in the oven, it was probably steamed too long.
The pastry, which is moist inside after baking and cutting, was undercooked.
If you want to learn more about this technology, read our older article.
