Over mixing is a big no-no when it comes to making cake batter that contains wheat flour. Home bakers are often directed to add the flour last and "stir until just combined," followed by an admonishment not to over mix -- which will transform what should be a delicate and airy cake into something dense and tough. It turns out that over mixing is not as much a concern for gluten-free bakes -- especially those meant to support additives like fruit, as it can give the finished product more structure.
The difference is obvious: thestrands of gluten proteinfound in wheat flour provide the structure in a batter for, let's say, a classic buttermilk vanilla cake.Over-developing them through vigorous mixing (or, really, much mixing at all) will turn the outcome chewy -- that's great for a baguette, but murder for angel food cake. All you need to do is incorporate the flour into the rest of the batter ingredients, and let the gluten do the rest. Gluten-free cake batters have to rely on something else to provide their structure, and that something typically takes the form of xanthan gum.
Two types of gum are typically used in gluten-free baking: xanthan and guar.Both of them functionally do the same job that gluten does -- hold the batter together and thicken it. Sometimes you'll see them together in a box of pre-made gluten-free flour or cake mix (or recipe); sometimes they appear separately. As a general rule of thumb, guar gum does its best work in cold stuff like ice cream, while xanthan gum is better suited for hot stuff like baked goods and gluten-free yeasted breads.
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Xanthan gum is derived from a bacterium called Xanthom*onas campestris.Technically known as a water-soluble exo-polysaccharide, what gums like xanthan are great at doing is binding with water and other organic materials. Xanthan gum's inclusion in a gluten-free cake batter means everybody will stick together, transforming disparate parts into a whole. Without it, your gluten-free cakes and muffins are virtually guaranteed to be crumbly.
Over Mixing Might Be A Relative Term, But It's Still A No-No
So, is it possible to over mix a gluten-free cake batter? The short answer is no and the long answer is yes. If you're following the directions for a wheat flour recipe but substituting gluten-free flour, then the red-flashing warning signs of over mixing won't apply. However, you can actually mix a batter containing xanthan and/or guar gum to a point of diminishing returns.You can overwork the gums and end up with a stringy cake batter or rubbery cookie dough.(Having said that, doing this takes some work. Just don't take your aggressions out on a gluten-free cake batter.)
Just remember that the key difference between wheat flour and gluten-free flour is the gluten and what that does for doughs and batters. What will very quickly lead to flat, tough glutinous cakes won't make that much of a difference in their gluten-free counterpart, and may in fact help create a more robust structure to hold those incoming blueberries.
It turns out that over mixing is not as much a concern for gluten-free bakes -- especially those meant to support additives like fruit, as it can give the finished product more structure.
The second problem revolves around gluten development: Mixing flour with liquids activates the gluten proteins that give baked goods their structure. Over-mixing, therefore, can lead to cookies, cakes, muffins, pancakes, and breads that are tough, gummy, or unpleasantly chewy.
Gluten is formed in baking when flour is mixed with a liquid. As you mix, the gluten strands stretch and organize into a network. The more you mix, the stronger the gluten structure becomes.
Unlike gluten doughs, gluten-free bread doughs should not be overworked, and doing so can sometimes make them a bit rubbery. Remember NOT TO PUNCH DOWN GLUTEN FREE DOUGHS. Second, if you are baking from scratch and adding your own xanthan or guar gum, you might have added too much.
Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.
The point of kneading dough is to help strengthen the gluten in it. Gluten is what gives your bread; it's structure and texture. Gluten that is not strong enough results from under kneaded dough, whereas gluten that is too tight results from over kneaded dough.
Over-mixing can occur when trying to evenly distribute these ingredients, so gently fold them in just until incorporated. Stop When Just Combined: The key is to stop mixing as soon as the ingredients are uniformly combined. A few small lumps are acceptable – they'll often disappear during baking.
Basically, the more that flour is mixed and worked in a batter or dough, the more strands of gluten are formed. Hot air travels up through the strands creating tunnels, which create a gummy, dense structure. To avoid this, the batter must be mixed sparingly.
Overmixing is exactly what it sounds like: the process by which a dough or batter gets mixed too much, typically yielding dense, tough, or deflated baked goods. Overmixed doughs and batters may have an unappealing look or feel, which remain just as unappealing when they're baked.
Wheat and other related grains (including barley, and rye) contain a mixture of two proteins glutenin and gliadin. When flour made from grinding these grains is mixed with water the two proteins combine and form gluten. Without water, gluten is not formed. The more the dough is mixed, the more gluten is developed.
You may know what you get when you overmix cake batter: a dense cake with tough texture (and maybe some unappetizing gluey streaks as well). But far fewer bakers know that undermixing batter can cause the same or similar results.
You will not be surprised that there is of course an optimum amount, depending on the recipe you are making. When bread dough contains too much gluten it loses its extensibility and springs back too much, making it difficult to work with and resulting in a bread that is tough and has lower volume and a compact crumb.
If the dough is overmixed to the point that it's leaching water and has become ropy, try this method: mix a half batch of dough, minus the salt.Allow your dough to autolyze for 20 minutes, then add the salt.Add this new dough to the overmixed dough, mixing on low speed until just combined.
Gluten-free flour blends don't have the same elasticity as flour containing gluten so often the cakes don't rise as much or will sink after rising. To combat the flat cake problem, I add ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda to the recipe even when using a self-raising gluten-free flour blend.
Xanthan gum (along with other thickeners like guar gum and arrowroot) acts like a binder in gluten-free baked goods to maintain their structure. Without it, there's a good chance that your brownies or muffin will crumble and fall apart.
If gluten-free cakes aren't falling apart, they often turn out heavy and unpleasantly dense. That's because gluten creates little pockets of air, so baked goods turn out springy and fluffy; gluten-free flours and grains are lacking this crucial element.
Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture. However, it's very important to drive off this extra moisture during baking, or you'll wind up with a gummy texture.
Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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