I read your previous posting on Baker's Percentage. My question is, given that eggs contain a lot of water, should they be counted in the hydration percentage for bread? --Eric About 76% of the total weight of an egg is water. Of the rest, about 9.5% is fat, 12.5% is protein and 0.4% is glucose. Technically, that means that for a... Read more →

I am making applesauce and then freezing it. The recipes call for white sugar. I was told I need to add this so the apples do not turn brown. Is there something else I can use? I prefer not to use any sweetener. Thank you very much. --Mary Apples brown because they contain an enzyme that causes the flesh to turn brown when it is... Read more →

I was supposed to use all purpose flour in my yeast roll recipe, but used self-rising. What will happen now? --Sarah As described in the earlier post on Self-rising Flour, it is regular flour that has baking powder and and salt added. The exact formulas, including the type of baking powder used, vary by manufacturer. There are two... Read more →

In response to my previous posting Breadmaker Jewish Rye Bread, SeaBee asked: Shouldn't there be some sugar involved somewhere? Now, I'm not sure if this is a specific questions because SeaBee thinks that Jewish Rye Bread should be sweet(er), or a more general question like: I notice in your posting on Breadmaker Jewish Rye Bread there... Read more →

What is the purpose of drawing out all the juices from a piece of meat with salt just have to have them all reabsorbed again. To me, this doesn't make any sense. --Linda I mention this process in the posting Salting Meat Before Cooking. It is also part of the working of dry rubs containing salt that are used on meat. There is some... Read more →

When I barbecue meat, there is a layer just under the surface that doesn't look like it got cooked, even though the middle looks done. What causes that?-- Dean What you are seeing is called the smoke ring. It is an area of meat that, although it is cooked, hasn't turned the greyish brown we associate with cooked meat. There are... Read more →

How can I remove the "over-salted" problem in a cooked pork roast. I adjusted the sauce with red wine vinegar and brown sugar,which helped, and cut off the outside edges of roast. I have heard that adding a peeled potato to soup that is overly salty will reduce the salt. Is this true?--Susan There are only a few ways to deal with... Read more →

What on earth! Here is my internet journey, seeking the answer to "Baking soda vs. baking powder." Baking powder can replace baking soda Baking powder cant replace baking soda Baking powder can't replace baking soda and vice versa. Here are some excerpts: "You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more... Read more →

I have a question about self-rising flour. I have a recipe that calls for yeast and warm water. I was wondering if I can substitute self-rising flour and avoid all the yeast and it's complications (like water at 110 degrees etc.)? The recipe is for cinnamon rolls. Thank you so much for your help.--Shannon Self-rising flour is a lower... Read more →

While you mentioned that cream of tartar, in a properly sealed container, can be kept indefinitely, I used mine last evening and the beaten egg whites did not turn out to be stiff as described in the recipe. I suspect the culprit is my cream of tartar being too old, even though it was kept in a tightly sealed container.-- Lucy Cream... Read more →