V O L . O N E MAILLARD PERFECTING RECIPES WITH SCIENCE The FoodSci Team THE FOODSCI TEAM President: William Hannon Vice President: Josephine Niu Secretary: Owen Hannon Director of Communications: Sienna Nimmer plus members and contributors MAILLARD MAILLARD PERFECTING RECIPES WITH SCIENCE The FoodSci Team LULU PUBLISHING DEDICATED TO THE READER: THAT YOU DO NOT FIND THIS BOOK BORING. Contents 64 Bread FoodSci's Favorite Baguettes • 67 Beginner's Sourdough Loaf • 71 Laugenbrötchen • 77 Cinnamon Swirl Bread • 81 Uber-Soft Dinner Rolls • 85 New York Bagels • 89 92 La Pizza Sourdough Pizza Dough • 95 Introduction • 10 FoodSci's Favorite Pizza Dough • 99 Basic Ingredients • 14 Neapolitan Pizza Sauce • 101 Basic Margherita Pizza • 103 Buffalo Chicken Pizza • 107 36 Frozen "Better-Than-The-Pizzeria" Garlic Knots • 109 Coconut Ice Cream • 39 Strawberry Honey Sorbet • 41 Spaghettieis • 43 112 Les pâtisseries Pain au Chocolat • 115 44 Brown Butter-Blueberry Pinwheel Cakes, Cookies, Pastries • 123 and Assorted Chaussons aux Pommes • 127 Desserts Browning Butter • 47 FoodSci's Favorite Chocolate Mousse • 132 Pies and Tarts 51 Chocolate Meringue Cookies • 55 FoodSci's Favorite Pie Crust • 135 Chocolate-Chunk Mousse Cake with Renaissance Apple Tart • 137 White Chocolate Whipped Cream • 57 FoodSci's Favorite Lemon Meringue FoodSci's Favorite Chocolate Chip Pie • 141 Cookies • 61 FoodSci's Favorite Coconut Cream Pie • 145 FoodSci's Favorite Key Lime Pie • 149 Resources • 150 Acknowledgments • 156 Introduction The Maillard reaction is perhaps the most predominant example of molecular gastronomy and culinary chemistry found in both cooking and baking. It refers to the process that gives brown food its distinctive flavor. So naturally, this book is named after it. I remember the first time I attempted to make a croquembouche—November 14, 2018. My small pot of caramel had completely hardened, holding a fork hostage under a glassy rock of solid sugar, like an ancient insect preserved in amber. My fingers were blistered from dipping the cream puffs into molten sugar one too many times, and a pile of dishes bathed in the sink, stacked up to the ceiling. The infamous tower of choux pastry puffs stood proudly, gleaming in the bright light of the kitchen and basking in its vanilla- caramel sweetness (having taken my sanity along the way). The process was a hectic blur of pans banging and yells coming from the kitchen, but nonetheless, something beautiful came out, something that I was proud of. And that, for me, is part of baking and A N D T H A T , cooking. Even in a whirlwind of disaster, if you F O R M E , I S make something that you are happy about, and P A R T O F most importantly, something that tastes B A K I N G A N D COOKING. delicious, everything is fine. Food science and molecular gastronomy are often neglected in most home kitchens. We cook and bake all the time without even considering the sciences that are behind our actions. It isn’t until you try deviating from the recipe that you learn why each step is so detailed and specific. Why cream the butter and sugar instead of pouring hot butter into flour? Why mix the cake batter alternating liquid and dry ingredients instead of just dumping everything into one bowl and giving it a whirl? The difference between making good MAILLARD 1 2 food and delicious, outstanding, delectable, insane food is all rooted in understanding science. Grasping a full three-sixty view of the composition of ingredients, the reactions they undergo, and the ways you taste food is the key to such perfection. That is why you are reading this. You want to become that perfect baker, that amazing chef. You want your food DELICIOUS, to make your family and friends gasp in OUTSTANDING, DELECTABLE, amazement (ok, maybe not gasp, but you INSANE FOOD get this gist). Well, luckily for you, this is the right place. Maillard is filled with our perfected and favorite recipes, with every element of the science behind them explained. We have tested all of these recipes to ensure that they come out perfectly every time. We want you to become an expert. We want you to boast to your friends and family about how much you have learned. We want you to become proud and amazed at what you can make. We hope this book will give novice chefs and bakers an in-depth look at food science in a fun way, allowing them to understand what is really happening in the kitchen. Food is a source of comfort, of self-expression, and as you will learn in this book, a source of intriguing science. Appreciating that is what you need to be above and beyond. Come on, do it for your taste buds! INTRODUCTION 1 3 Basic Ingredients GRANULATED SUGAR Granulated sugar is ordinary white sugar used for household purposes. It has relatively large crystals that are dried and separated. The process of making granulated sugar was invented by Jean Etienne Bore around the 1790s. Granulated sugar is what is known as a simple carbohydrate, which means that it is a "quick energy" source that the body converts to glucose relatively soon after digestion. A sugar cane stalk is composed of 72% water, 12% sugar, 13% fiber, and 3% molasses. White granulated sugar is made by removing all of the molasses. Granulated sugar is a common household use for many recipes and is one of the most popular baking ingredients in the world. Granulated sugar should be stored in a tin that is in a dry and cool atmosphere. LIGHT BROWN SUGAR Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinct brown color due to the presence of molasses. Brown sugar is made from sugar cane, dating back to New Guinea in 8000 BCE and soon migrated to Southwest Asia. Sugar is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms, and contains a hydroxyl group, making the molecule polar and therefore soluble. Light brown sugar is made by combining refined white sugar and a small amount of molasses. Some common uses of light brown sugar are in apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, coffee cake, and honey-baked ham. Brown sugar should be stored in a cool, moist area in a container with a tightfitting lid to prevent clumping. DARK BROWN SUGAR Dark brown sugar is made the same way as light brown sugar but contains a larger amount of molasses, which gives it a darker shade of brown and richer flavor. Dark brown sugar is used in many foods like brownies, brown sugar cookies, toffee cookies, and pumpkin coffee cake. Brown sugar should be stored in a cool, moist area in a container with a tightfitting lid. MAILLARD 1 6 POWDERED SUGAR Powdered sugar, also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar, is granulated white sugar that has been pulverized into a powder and mixed with a small amount of cornstarch. Mills producing powdered sugar were made in the 1850s, but the concept of powdered sugar is said to have originated centuries earlier. The principal ingredients of sugar confectionery include sucrose, invert sugars, and glucose syrups. This form of sugar is derived from granulated sugar made from sugar beets or sugar cane, and an additional ingredient, cornstarch, which helps to keep the sugar from clumping. This sweet treat is preferred in various baking applications since it dissolves quickly; as the name icing sugar implies, powdered sugar is frequently used in various forms of frosting. It is best used in non-cooked icings or American-style buttercream because it dissolves without the addition of heat. To prevent powdered sugar from becoming lumpy, store it away from moisture. ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR All-purpose flour, sometimes referred to as just APF, is a general and versatile (hence the name “all-purpose”) wheat flour. It is milled from hard red winter wheat or a blend of hard and soft winter wheat, usually in an 80:20 ratio. Flour, in general, dates all the way back to 6000 B.C., where the earliest archaeological evidence implies that wheat seeds were crushed between simple millstones to make flour. The Romans were the first to grind seeds on cone mills, and in 1779, at the beginning of the Industrial Era, the first steam mill was produced in London. Beginning in the 1930s, some flours began to be enriched with iron, niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin. Folic acid was added in the 1990s. What distinguishes different types of flour (APF, Cake Flour, Bread Flour), is the level of protein. A higher amount of protein means there is more gluten, a family of proteins made of S-rich glutenins and S-poor gliadins that creates a large aggregated protein network when combined with water. Some people are sensitive or allergic to gluten, like those who have Celiac Disease. The more protein, and thus gluten, in flour, the studier and chewier the product will be. Because APF has a protein content of 11.7%, it is perfect for general baking purposes, like making cookies, muffins, or biscuits. Many companies bleach their flours with chemicals like chlorine dioxide and benzoyl BASIC INGREDIENTS 1 7 peroxide, giving the flour an artificial, stark-white color. Other brands do not, and these flours that contain no bleach, no bromate, and no artificial preservatives of any kind are best used in yeasted goods or sourdough (this is because those harsh chemicals can inhibit the growth of wild yeast naturally occurring in raw flour). Flour contains a high proportion of starches, a subset of complex carbohydrates, or polysaccharides. All-purpose flour should be kept in a sealed container or bag, in a cool, dark place where it is safe from pantry moth infestation and spoilage.