kitchen, before baking it.
SERVES 8
¾ cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 envelopes (1½ tablespoons) rapid-rise yeast
1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup raisins
½ cup light brown sugar
cup dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat the milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan until the butter is melted and the milk is very warm to the touch.
3. Pour the milk mixture into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the yeast to dissolve it. Stir in the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Beat the dough with an electric mixer on medium-low until smooth. Stir in the raisins until incorporated. Pat the dough into the prepared pan.
4. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Smooth this mixture over the dough and sprinkle with the walnuts.
5. Transfer the pan to a cold oven. Set the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake until the cake is golden and set in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve warm.
Q Why do my baked goods always seem to burn before they are baked through, even though I’m following the recipe directions?
A If your baked goods overbrown consistently, you might inadvertently be baking at a higher temperature than you mean to, if your oven runs hot. Test it by putting an oven thermometer inside and using that as a guide rather than your oven’s gauge. If things seem to be baking unevenly — cakes burning on one side or 6 out of 12 muffins rising higher than the rest — then you may have a hot-spot problem.
Q What are hot spots?
A Ideally, the cookies on your baking sheet should bake at the same rate whether they are on the right, left, or middle of the baking sheet. In reality, many ovens have hot spots, even on the middle rack, making it necessary to rotate your baking pans for even cooking.
To test for hot spots, heat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and place slices of baguette on either side in the back, on either side in the front, and in the middle. Wait 10 minutes and compare how the bread slices have browned. This will give you a good idea of how evenly your oven bakes and where it bakes more quickly. Some people recommend using a baking stone at all times in the oven, because the stone will absorb the heat of the oven and then radiate it evenly, minimizinghot spots. But be sure if you try this to test the oven temperature with an oven thermometer with the baking stone in place. These stones are so effective at absorbing heat that they may cause your oven to run 25 to 50°F (4–10°C) hotter than it would without a stone.
Q If my oven heats unevenly, will installing a HearthKit oven insert help?
A Made of the same ceramic material as baking stones, the HearthKit is a 3-sided oven insert that distributes heat throughout the oven evenly, similar to the way the walls of a brick oven work. If your oven heats unevenly, with hot spots, the HearthKit will solve this problem, producing evenly baked cakes and cookies with no pan rotation at all. It is an expensive solution, but may be worthwhile if you are also devoted to baking hearth breads and pizzas regularly. Note that the insert takes up quite a lot of space and will have to be removed when it’s time to bake a very large item on the bottom rack, such as a Thanksgiving turkey or a Christmas roast.
Q Do I always need to rotate my pans?
A Pan rotation is necessary only if your oven isn’t the same temperature back to front, side to side. Unfortunately, most ovens don’t maintain a uniform temperature throughout their interiors, making pan rotation necessary for most of us. If you are one of the lucky few with a perfectly even oven or if you use a convection oven that circulates air to maintain even temperature throughout, then don’t worry about rotating your pans. If you know you
SERVES 8
¾ cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 envelopes (1½ tablespoons) rapid-rise yeast
1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup raisins
½ cup light brown sugar
cup dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat the milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan until the butter is melted and the milk is very warm to the touch.
3. Pour the milk mixture into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the yeast to dissolve it. Stir in the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Beat the dough with an electric mixer on medium-low until smooth. Stir in the raisins until incorporated. Pat the dough into the prepared pan.
4. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Smooth this mixture over the dough and sprinkle with the walnuts.
5. Transfer the pan to a cold oven. Set the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake until the cake is golden and set in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve warm.
Q Why do my baked goods always seem to burn before they are baked through, even though I’m following the recipe directions?
A If your baked goods overbrown consistently, you might inadvertently be baking at a higher temperature than you mean to, if your oven runs hot. Test it by putting an oven thermometer inside and using that as a guide rather than your oven’s gauge. If things seem to be baking unevenly — cakes burning on one side or 6 out of 12 muffins rising higher than the rest — then you may have a hot-spot problem.
Q What are hot spots?
A Ideally, the cookies on your baking sheet should bake at the same rate whether they are on the right, left, or middle of the baking sheet. In reality, many ovens have hot spots, even on the middle rack, making it necessary to rotate your baking pans for even cooking.
To test for hot spots, heat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and place slices of baguette on either side in the back, on either side in the front, and in the middle. Wait 10 minutes and compare how the bread slices have browned. This will give you a good idea of how evenly your oven bakes and where it bakes more quickly. Some people recommend using a baking stone at all times in the oven, because the stone will absorb the heat of the oven and then radiate it evenly, minimizinghot spots. But be sure if you try this to test the oven temperature with an oven thermometer with the baking stone in place. These stones are so effective at absorbing heat that they may cause your oven to run 25 to 50°F (4–10°C) hotter than it would without a stone.
Q If my oven heats unevenly, will installing a HearthKit oven insert help?
A Made of the same ceramic material as baking stones, the HearthKit is a 3-sided oven insert that distributes heat throughout the oven evenly, similar to the way the walls of a brick oven work. If your oven heats unevenly, with hot spots, the HearthKit will solve this problem, producing evenly baked cakes and cookies with no pan rotation at all. It is an expensive solution, but may be worthwhile if you are also devoted to baking hearth breads and pizzas regularly. Note that the insert takes up quite a lot of space and will have to be removed when it’s time to bake a very large item on the bottom rack, such as a Thanksgiving turkey or a Christmas roast.
Q Do I always need to rotate my pans?
A Pan rotation is necessary only if your oven isn’t the same temperature back to front, side to side. Unfortunately, most ovens don’t maintain a uniform temperature throughout their interiors, making pan rotation necessary for most of us. If you are one of the lucky few with a perfectly even oven or if you use a convection oven that circulates air to maintain even temperature throughout, then don’t worry about rotating your pans. If you know you
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