Baking with Emulsions

You can make a variety of vibrant fruit breads with bakery emulsions, and I will give you several recipes.


Coming to you live from the DATC Computer Library, I am back with a long overdue post.  It took a little time adjusting to a new technology program I signed up for and to get used to being up by 6 am every day.  That is not the easiest thing to do when one has been on a swing or night schedule for 5+ years.  But I am almost back to normal.  I go 40+ hours a week, do not have to drive as I got a discount student bus pass, and so far I completed 2 courses by testing out, and 2 courses the old-fashioned way, in 1/2 the time I was told it would take because the program is self-directed.  So I am pretty busy.  But I am still cooking and will try to remember to post now.

Emulsions are a useful chemistry technology.  They have been used in painting and baking for many centuries.  An emulsion, to spare a definition, is a thick syrup-like mixture which holds its flavor better, especially during baking.  These are a near priceless commodity, but you can find them for $7 or less per bottle.  I recommend checking your local Ross Dress For Less Store in the hopes of finding some for $2.99.  They are used in place of traditional juice or zest.  For instance, I have on my shelf at home, orange, raspberry, lemon, and almond emulsions, and a bottle of chocolate essence, which is similar.  Of those, I do not like the almond but heartily recommend the others.  Zests, made from a peel put through a fine cheese grater or a special zester tool, combined with juice, make a dough harder to work with, can introduce pollutants you don't need in your diet, and will lose their flavor no matter how much you put in.  The emulsion solves all these problems, especially when combined with black truffle oil which heightens and compliments flavors in cooking.  As an added bonus emulsions are very stable and will not spoil, ever, for all intents and purposes, even at room temperature.  What a deal. 

Black truffle oil smells disgusting on its own, but I braved it in my baking and adore it now.  Just don't drink it straight or anything, and use small amounts when you start out with it.  I do not like it in pasta sauce and have done little other experimenting.

I think I can't say anymore without being dull.  The recipes are below.  All are quick breads which take less than 15 minutes of work, not counting the bake time, and these will make 6 muffins or a small loaf of bread, approximately 6 inches long.  These are not translatable- what I mean is that if I list the recipe as a bread, it probably would be hard to make muffins out of, and if I list it as muffins, it may or may not make a good bread also.

Raspberry Honey Whole Wheat Bread

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tspn salt
3 fl oz honey
1 tsp raspberry emulsion
1 tsp black truffle oil  (or replace with an additional 1 tspn of emulsion)
Water as needed

Oil your baking dish and bake at 350 F for approximately 30 min.  Check at 25 min.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup enriched flour
2 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp black poppy seeds
1 tsp lemon emulsion
1 tsp black truffle oil (Or replace with additional 1 tspn emulsion)
Water as needed

Oil your baking dish and bake at 350 F for approximately 30 min.  Check at 25 min.  This is not the traditional cake-style fluffy dessert lemon-poppy seed bread.  Its a robust little number that retains all the sweet and aromatic pleasantries of the other, but with added health benefits.

Orange Cranberry Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup enriched flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar or brown sugar
1/8- 1/4 cup craisins or chopped fresh cranberries
1 tsp orange emulsion
1 tsp black truffle oil (Or replace with additional 1 tspn emulsion)
Water as needed

Oil your baking tray and fill 6 cups as evenly as possible.  Bake at 350 F for approximately 30 min.  Check at 25 min. 

And here is a bonus simple recipe without emulsion

Morning Glory Muffins

Run 1/2 carrot through a fine cheese grater, or a zester if you have one, or shred it any other practicable means to start.  Add to:

 1 cup bran
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 enriched flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 fl oz molasses
1/8-1/4 cup dates or raisins
Water as needed

I make this as muffins but it can be a bread also, with no conversion trouble.  Bake at 350 F for approximately 20 min.  May take a little longer.  Check at 20 min though. 

Coming Soon (hopefully): Making ravioli from scratch with stamps- plus a basic all-purpose pasta recipe, home-fermented kefir sodas, how to start a barter club, and a recipe for apple-fig dumplings.

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