August 28, 2014 - 12:10am
Which types of baked goods benefit from steam when cooking?
Hello all :)
Ok, I own an embarrassing amount of breadmaking books (to the extent that I'm going to have to invest in another bookcase for them), but none of them cover this issue -
for cooking sweet breads, viennoiserie and laminated things, am I still supposed to try to create steam in the oven?
Any help appreciated. Currently have a tray of croissants rising (thanks to txfarmer's Poolish Croissants recipe and very through guidelines) and I'm on the fence as to whether they need steam in the oven or not. (It doesn't say to in the recipe, but then...lots of breadmaking recipes don't mention generating steam, even though they'd benefit from it.)
Anyway, thoughts? :)
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My opinion is that croissants benefit from steam. I don't like to use egg wash, partly because I'm clumsy at brushing it on, so I cook my croissants outside in the brick oven which is a humid environment.
I don't think using steam will hurt any dessert. It prevents cheesecake and tort from cracking while baking.
but I'm pretty sure that egg-washed goods should be baked in a dry oven, since steam will dull and mottle the surface.
Egg washes ( whole eggs, egg whites, or egg yolks) produce varying degrees of gloss and color in the crust.
Some sweet pastries can be brushed with melted apricot or apple jelly to creare a glossy finish on the crust.
Paul
I agree with you Paul, dry heat/oven is what neaded for those kind of doughs.
When I work with * Puff Pastry * I never use steam.
I do make this kind of dough quite often.