I've generally had to use more flour in dough recipes than the recipe
calls for. I'm guessing that this is because I'm in an area with higher
humidity than average.

What humidity is assumed by typical recipes--is there a standard, or is
it just whatever it was at the place where the recipe was developed?
And is there some kind of formula I can use to calculate how to adjust
for higher (or lower) humidity, or are there published tables for this?
Or should I just start keeping a log of every dough I make, recording
quantities of ingredients, humidity, temperature, and result? (Would
air pressure also be a useful variable to record?).

--
--Tim Smith

On Sat 26 Apr 2008 09:24:55p, Tim Smith told us...

>
> I've generally had to use more flour in dough recipes than the recipe
> calls for. I'm guessing that this is because I'm in an area with higher
> humidity than average.
>
> What humidity is assumed by typical recipes--is there a standard, or is
> it just whatever it was at the place where the recipe was developed?
> And is there some kind of formula I can use to calculate how to adjust
> for higher (or lower) humidity, or are there published tables for this?
> Or should I just start keeping a log of every dough I make, recording
> quantities of ingredients, humidity, temperature, and result? (Would
> air pressure also be a useful variable to record?).
>

If you bake bread using recipes that specify ingredients by weight rather
than volume, in most cases this should solve your problem. Flour and other
dry ingredients will hold humidity and contribute that to the product, thus
your need to add additional flour using the liquid specified. You've
actually added more "liquid" using humid dry ingredients. That's not to
say that adjustments of flour to liquid ration don't have to be made on
occasion, but that's best done by how the dough feels. Recording changes
and conditions when you make a recipe is not a bad idea, but it also may
not be that realiable.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 04(IV)/26(XXVI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Countdown till Memorial Day
4wks 1dys 45mins
-------------------------------------------
If it's comprehensible, it's obsolete.
-------------------------------------------

Hi there,i am having a possibly similar problem with a mushy 2" high
carrot cake.
after 1.5 hrs baking at 180C the inside looks like a pudding instead
of the expected baked cake texture.the outside is almost burnt.

i used a 1' wide deep ceramic pan (without a hole) and stuck to the
recipie (100g carrots,2 banana,50g raisins,225g flour,1 tps baking
powder,150 brown sugar,walnuts 50g,150g oil & 2 eggs)

any ideas what i can try to improve the texture? thanks




On Apr 27, 8:26*am, Wayne Boatwright >
wrote:
> On Sat 26 Apr 2008 09:24:55p, Tim Smith told us...
>
>
>
> > I've generally had to use more flour in dough recipes than the recipe
> > calls for. *I'm guessing that this is because I'm in an area with higher
> > humidity than average.
>
> > What humidity is assumed by typical recipes--is there a standard, or is
> > it just whatever it was at the place where the recipe was developed? *
> > And is there some kind of formula I can use to calculate how to adjust
> > for higher (or lower) humidity, or are there published tables for this? *
> > Or should I just start keeping a log of every dough I make, recording
> > quantities of ingredients, humidity, temperature, and result? *(Would
> > air pressure also be a useful variable to record?).
>
> If you bake bread using recipes that specify ingredients by weight rather
> than volume, in most cases this should solve your problem. *Flour and other
> dry ingredients will hold humidity and contribute that to the product, thus
> your need to add additional flour using the liquid specified. *You've
> actually added more "liquid" using humid dry ingredients. *That's not to
> say that adjustments of flour to liquid ration don't have to be made on
> occasion, but that's best done by how the dough feels. *Recording changes
> and conditions when you make a recipe is not a bad idea, but it also may
> not be that realiable.
>
> --
> * * * * * * *Wayne Boatwright * * * * * *
> -------------------------------------------
> * * *Saturday, 04(IV)/26(XXVI)/08(MMVIII)
> -------------------------------------------
> * * * * Countdown till Memorial Day * * * *
> * * * * * * *4wks 1dys 45mins * * * * * * *
> -------------------------------------------
> * If it's comprehensible, it's obsolete. *
> -------------------------------------------

On Sat, 10 May 2008 05:24:58 -0700 (PDT), s
> wrote:

>Hi there,i am having a possibly similar problem with a mushy 2" high
>carrot cake.
>after 1.5 hrs baking at 180C the inside looks like a pudding instead
>of the expected baked cake texture.the outside is almost burnt.
>
>i used a 1' wide deep ceramic pan (without a hole) and stuck to the
>recipie (100g carrots,2 banana,50g raisins,225g flour,1 tps baking
>powder,150 brown sugar,walnuts 50g,150g oil & 2 eggs)
>
>any ideas what i can try to improve the texture? thanks
>

Howdy,

You describe the baking temperature as 180C...

Can you say how you measured that temp?

I ask because if you believe that to be the temperature of
the oven because you "set" it to that temp, we may have a
solution to your problem:

Many ovens slip out of calibration rather quickly, and
rather significantly.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

On Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:24:55 -0700, Tim Smith
> wrote:

>
>I've generally had to use more flour in dough recipes than the recipe
>calls for. I'm guessing that this is because I'm in an area with higher
>humidity than average.

Hi Tim,

After you mix the ingredients together, do you ever just let
'em sit for twenty minutes or so?

You might find that doing that provides you the same benefit
as adding flour.

By the way, you say that you "hat to use more flour."

But you did not say what it was that forced you to do
that...

Please say more.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

On Sat, 10 May 2008 13:16:05 -0400, Kenneth
> wrote:

>"hat to use more flour."

'sorry, "had to use more flour."
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."