The Little-Known Secret of Making Well-Made Birthday Cakes, Bread, or Pastry

In baking birthday cakes, other types of cakes, pastries, and bread from scratch, is it possible to create a well-made cake, bread, or pastry? The answer is probably not, as large flour companies have made it almost impossible today to find flour that is good quality. Large flour companies want you to buy bake goods already made or sell you ready made mixes that carry a high profit margin. This marketing ploy has been so successful for so many decades that today most bread, cake and rolls are bakery made.

Flour making companies will sell you "all-purpose flour." This is the four that is available in grocery stores. This type of flour is very, very poor quality soft wheat flour with very little strength. Flour that is all-purpose is made from mixing wheat that has a lot and very little amount of gluten wheat with less protein than bread flour. You can always substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour, but be aware the results will not be as great. The secret to well-made cake, bread, or pastry is gluten. The appropriate flour with the appropriate amount of gluten in it is different for cake, bread or pastry.

1) Bread Flour - This is a high quality, strong flour. Without it, it is impossible to make a good loaf of bread or flaky pastry. Bread flour is flour made from a high amount of gluten that has added to it a little bit of flour from barley and ascorbic acid powder. The flour from the barley works with the yeast and the other additives to increase gluten's elasticity. Gluten is a protein found in wheat flour. Gluten when wet forms an elastic network throughout the dough. And that is why you knead dough - to organize the strands of gluten running through the dough into a strong, resilient, interconnected web. As yeast ferments in your dough, the web of protein will entrap the bubbles of CO2 and allow the dough to rise. The gluten keeps the CO2 from bubbling up to the surface and disappears. Together they trap gas as the dough begins to rise and bake. You will want to use bread flour for making bread and crusts for pizza as it gives the loftiness and chewiness that gluten provides.

2) Pastry Flour - You must have this to make good rolls, muffins, pie crust, or even good pancakes. It is low-protein flour and it is the protein in the flour that determines how delicate, elastic, strong, stretchy, and bendable, etc. Bread flour has around 12% to 13% protein. Cake flour which is at the low end of the spectrum has a 5% to 8% protein and is much less elastic which helps to produce a wonderful crumb cake. Pastry flour has a tad more protein with 8% to 9% protein giving you baked goods with a little more stiffness and body than cake flour but the tenderness you need making a well-made biscuit or pie. It can be difficult to find pastry flour. You can make your own by combing cake flour and all-purpose flour in a ratio of two thirds cake flour to one third all-purpose flour or one half cake flour to one half all-purpose flour.

3) Cake Flour - This must be an extremely fine high grade flour. You must use this very fine cake flour and a special emulsified shortening that will hold sugar well to make a really good cake. Cake flour is low protein flour compared to other flour and that is what you want for tender results. Much less gluten forms when you mix it into a batter and this in turn creates a fine, soft even crumb. You could use all-purpose flour but you will notice a difference in the texture between a cake made with all-purpose flour and one made with cake flour. Cake flour is commonly used in white cakes and in angel food cakes, both which are known for having a light texture. Bagels and breads require the most protein and strongest gluten, not as much for pastries and cookies, even less for cakes such as pound cakes and the least for angel food cakes.

4) High Gluten Flour - To make French, Vienna, Italian or Bohemian bread or apple strudel, you must have this flour. It is impossible to make these items without these flours.

The making of Apple Strudel or AppelStrudel is one of the great secrets of baking. Very few people know how to make Apple Strudel. An Apple Strudel made with a real authentic recipe produces a pastry so thin you can see through the layers. The making of Apple Strudel was invented back in 1881 and really has not been around for a long time. It was created in a town named Aachen or Aix-la-Chapelle in Germany by a Priest named Otto Miller. The town has two names because at different times in history it was ruled by French and German speaking folks. Without good quality high gluten flour it is impossible to make Apple Strudel, or for that matter any of the hard crust breads like French, Vienna, or Italian breads. So are you ready to get started? Let's begin.

In a large bowl put in 10 cups of high gluten flour. Make a well in the center and add 3 cups of lukewarm water, one level tablespoon of salt, 6 eggs, 8 tablespoons of corn oil, and 7 level tablespoons of sugar. Mix the dough well in your electric mixer until silky and pliable. Then put the dough on a lightly floured table and knead for at least 15 minutes. Knead the dough until the dough comes away fairly clean from your hands and is very pliable. Weigh the dough into 1 pound pieces and shape into an oval or round loaf. Place the pound loaves into a dish of corn oil at room temperature for 30 minutes. Put a piece of plywood on the table 4' by 4' and give it a good coat of corn oil. Put a pound of dough in the center and with the palm of your hands press it out as thinly as possible. Brush some corn oil lightly over it. The dough will look somewhat transparent. Let it relax for 40 minutes and gain press it out as thinly as possible. Let it relax twenty minutes.

For the filling take 2 pounds of apples and peel and slice them very thin. Add 2/3 cup of raisins, 2/3 cup of sugar, 4 level teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/4 level teaspoon of salt. Mix well and sprinkle evenly over the stretched dough. Trim off any uneven edges of the dough. Carefully roll up the thin dough. The dough will be soft and floppy and thin and it will be hard to roll but that is alright and do not get discouraged. It is not supposed to look pretty at this stage. Slide the roll onto a buttered cookie sheet. Brush with corn oil and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake in a hot oven for 35 to 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Watch carefully and remove when golden brown. Take a cup of corn syrup and 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil. Let it cool to lukewarm and brush over the top and sides to form a glaze.