Blodgett HV-Cooking Guide - Manual (Page 8)

Blodgett Hydrovection Cooking Guide
SPECIAL TIPS & TECHNIQUES
8
Muffins are too dark, gummy on the inside,
do not rise properly, or “explode” halfway
through baking. Muffins are chemically leav-
ened with baking powder and baking soda.
If there is too little heat, the leavening agents
do not react and the muffins do not rise prop-
erly. Longer baking times will produce a muf-
fin with a dry, overbrowned exterior and a
gummy interior, or exhibit “exploding” when
the heat finally reaches the interior. The rising
interior splits open the fully set exterior and
the muffin explodes. Use a lower temperature
to allow the muffins to come up to tempera-
ture more gently. Then finish with a hotter
temperature halfway through to promote
browning without drying out. Some Common Baking Problems &
What Causes Them
Muffins have a tendency to lean to one side
because of the air currents in a convection
oven. You may either need to adjust the fan
reversal or begin with low fan and finish with
high fan.
Light batters for cakes that blow to one side
or exhibit severe rippling can be handled in
the same manner as the muffins.
Over-browning around the pan’s edges is
generally an indication the temperature is
too high for that product or load (increasing
the load in an oven will change the air flow,
which sometimes causes overbrowning). Try
reducing the temperature 25°F/14°C, spread
the load more evenly in the oven, or bake in
smaller batches.
The top shelf browns faster than the others.
Air is circulated around a baffle at the back of
the oven (the fan draws air in from the cen-
ter). Freshly reheated air from the top of the
baffle hits the top pan first. Radiant heat from
the top of the oven also contributes to faster
browing on the top shelf. This is also typical
of convection ovens. Either allow more space
between the top of the oven and the upper-
most pan or remove the top pan earlier than
the others.