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Icing made with cooked flour and milk- I have ??'s!!

post #1 of 27
9/20/10 at 11:46am
Thread Starter 
I "heard" about this Buttercream recipe made from a cooked flour and milk base- and that it was AMAZING- so I went in search of! I was originally told it was a "French Buttercream"- but when I searched for that, it was NOT a flour/milk recipe. But I DID find the recipe- and whipped it up! It IS amazing- soooo smooth and silky, not overly sweet, but not "overly" buttery, like the MBC's. My question is... has anyone out there tried this recipe (see below)? If so, how do YOU keep it from getting little "solid" pieces in it? I tried running it through the food processor after cooking it- before cooling- it seems to work ok- but I'm thinking there has to be a better way??!! Also, has anyone made it in chocolate before? If so, what did you add to make it chocolate?
Recipe:
4 T flour
1 cup milk
*cook together till it forms a smoothe "paste"- (I run it through the food processor at this point). Cool completely
Whip together:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 t vanilla
Then add in flour/milk mixture and beat on med-high to high for 20-25 minutes. It will look "ruined" for quite a while and then will turn perfect!

Thoughts?? Suggestions?? Thanks in advance!!
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post #2 of 27
9/20/10 at 12:01pm
I would ask if you stirred, stirred, stirred constantly so that you don't get any lumps. I would do that with a wooden spoon. It's what you usually do when you do similar things like when you're making a roux (butter with flour) so that's silky and smooth.

Anyway, here are two other recipes of a similar thing. At the very least you might get tips on how they cook it, even if it's a different recipe.

http://obsessedwithbaking.blogspot.com/2009/02/flour-frosting.html

http://obsessedwithbaking.blogspot.com/2009/04/flour-frosting-v2-and-hersheys.html
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post #3 of 27
9/20/10 at 12:08pm
This is the recipe I have used for many years. I call it a 'French Buttercream' although it may not be an accurate description...but I use it to differentiate it from other bakers using "Italian Meringue" frostings.

In my experience, I have found that the butter must be room temp- but not mushy-soft! If the butter is cold, it will be lumpy. If the butter is too warm, it will not set up. icon_sad.gif

I have never put it thru a food processor. Never thought about trying that! Anyway- I just continuously stirred the milk/flour mixture! Also, after cooking, I spread it out onto a plate to cool, then covered lightly with plastic wrap so it wouldn't get hard, crusty edges.

I remember trying to make it chocolate with diseasterous results- and adding peanut butter didn't work either! icon_sad.gif

Because this is a soft frosting, I had to be careful not to use really heavy side decorations on my wedding cakes because they would slide off! I often used this icing for borders, but decorated using the traditional 10x sugar & shortening buttercream.

This frosting is what set me apart from other bakeries! icon_smile.gif
With 30 years as a cake artist under my belt, I'm just here to share my knowledge and experience to anyone willing to listen!
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With 30 years as a cake artist under my belt, I'm just here to share my knowledge and experience to anyone willing to listen!
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post #4 of 27
9/20/10 at 12:10pm
I make this icing whenever I want something light and creamy, not too sweet and don't have to worry about the heat and humidity. I use a whisk to mix the milk and sifted flour together before heating and then constantly while cooking. I also stir it often while it is cooling and I never have had a problem with lumps. Hope that helps.
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post #5 of 27
9/20/10 at 12:25pm
This is the frosting my Mother used for years...some even compare it to "whipped cream" icing.. as you said no so sweet. However, I use 1 c. shortening instead of 1 c. butter.

However, it is so soft a consistancy, I can never use it for anything more than to ice a cake.. can't decorate with it at all. Have you guys been able to decorate with this icing?
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post #6 of 27
9/20/10 at 2:21pm
Thread Starter 
The last time I made it, I actually made sure it was "lump free" even before heating then stirred it with a whisk the whole time it was cooking. The problem isn't "lumps"- it's little tiny pieces of solid- and not a LOT- but enough to notice. They are just little flecks- almost like when people have trouble with the egg white in lemon curd?

cakedout- yes, this definitely separates me from the "others"- and I almost can't go back to regular buttercream icon_wink.gif What did you use for the "chocolate"? I was wondering if you could use cocoa powder mixed in with the sugar/butter, like you would for regular buttercream? Maybe not?

kayjess- I've been using it for icing and decorating without any trouble
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post #7 of 27
9/20/10 at 2:31pm
I love this buttercream also because it is light and more sweet than meringue based but not overly sweet!!! I don't have any problems with the lumps in it but I just put a layer of plastic wrap right on top of it to keep it from getting a skin. I think that they say to do the same thing with curds. HTH
Failure is not an option!!
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Failure is not an option!!
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post #8 of 27
9/20/10 at 2:35pm
Tried this already?

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/05/chocolate-frosting.html
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post #9 of 27
9/20/10 at 2:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by imagenthatnj

Tried this already?

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/05/chocolate-frosting.html

I checked out the chocolate recipe and it sounds wonderful. I have done the cooked flower and milk recipe for years. I do like the flavor of the all butter, but to give the recipe a little more holding power in warmer weather I have uses 1/2 butter and 1/2 crisco. I have made the all crisco version and it seemed to taste to greasy for me.
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post #10 of 27
9/20/10 at 3:23pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the recipe links- I think I need to go make some frosting!!
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post #11 of 27
3/12/12 at 9:40am
I made this frosting for the first time yesterday and made it twice. The first time I had lumps as well from the milk/flour mixture. There were absolutely NO lumps while I was constantly stirring it in the saucepan. It was only after the mixture cooled and then whipped that the mixture didn't completely get smooth. The first time, I didn't whip the flour/milk mixture before incorporating it into the butter/sugar mixture. I figured that was the problem. The second time I made it I whipped up the flour/milk AFTER it had cooled and it helped just a bit to eliminate lumps, but they were still there. I had to push that mixture through a mesh strainer to try and get rid of the rest. I still didn't completely get rid of the lumps. I think my actual problem is that I let the flour/milk mixture get TOO cool. Next time I will continue to check the temperature and once it's not warm anymore I'll move forward with making the icing. Both times yesterday I just left it sitting on the counter indefinitely and came back to it when I could.
Hobby baker for now.....
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Hobby baker for now.....
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post #12 of 27
3/12/12 at 11:42am
I made this frosting for the first time yesterday and made it twice. The first time I had lumps as well from the milk/flour mixture. There were absolutely NO lumps while I was constantly stirring it in the saucepan. It was only after the mixture cooled and then whipped that the mixture didn't completely get smooth. The first time, I didn't whip the flour/milk mixture before incorporating it into the butter/sugar mixture. I figured that was the problem. The second time I made it I whipped up the flour/milk AFTER it had cooled and it helped just a bit to eliminate lumps, but they were still there. I had to push that mixture through a mesh strainer to try and get rid of the rest. I still didn't completely get rid of the lumps. I think my actual problem is that I let the flour/milk mixture get TOO cool. Next time I will continue to check the temperature and once it's not warm anymore I'll move forward with making the icing. Both times yesterday I just left it sitting on the counter indefinitely and came back to it when I could.
Hobby baker for now.....
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Hobby baker for now.....
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post #13 of 27
5/17/12 at 4:32pm
I make this all the time.

It's called German or Belgian buttercream if you use egg yolks with the flour and milk.

First of all I use 1+1/4 cup butter with 1 cup milk.

Second I use cornstarch instead of flour. It will be stiff but straining it softens it up better than flour.

I push the pudding through a fine strainer just before I add it to the butter/sugar.
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post #14 of 27
5/23/12 at 1:08pm
I've made both recipes that the Our Best Bites blog has posted, the vanilla and the chocolate. Both are very good. I like using the vanilla frosting on my red velvet cakes and cupcakes, rather than cream cheese frosting.

For each, after cooking the paste, I do run it through a mesh sieve to get out any lumps, then I place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the paste so that it doesn't form a skin. I stick it in the fridge to cool completely.

For her chocolate recipe, I use a total of 1/3 cup of cocoa, which is perfect for my tastes. Not too dark, not too light.

When whipping up the chocolate batch (using the paddle, not the whisk attachment), I have learned from experiences to shut off the stand mixer prior to adding the cooled melted chocolate. Slowly incorporate about 1/3 of the melted chocolate at a time, being careful not to let the cooled chocolate hit the sides of the bowl, where it will firm up, leaving little bits of chocolate in your frosting. While tasty, it may not be the look you're going for.

I've used both butter and HRS in this recipe and do like the butter better.

I think the chocolate recipe in her blog is the best for this kind of frosting as I've tried making it other ways and just do not have any luck with it coming out in a nice cohesive frosting.
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post #15 of 27
5/23/12 at 2:41pm
I found this recipe here on cc several months ago and use if for filling in all of my cakes now. (I use ganache to ice them and then cover with fondant.)

When I found this recipe ...can't remember from who...these are the tips that came with it. Works great for me.

Increase the sugar to 1 1/4 cups, and grind it down in a blender until it's powdery - this will remove the grainy texture (I use bakers sugar)

When adding the flour to the milk, make sure you whisk CONSTANTLY, and when it says to wait until the roux thickens, that means you must wait until it becomes nearly solid. It should hold its form for several seconds without melting into itself again.

Instead of waiting for this to cool on its own, put this mixture into a stand mixer while it's hot and beat with the paddle attachment until it cools to room temperature, this prevents lumps.

At this point, add the softened butter gradually until it's uniformly mixed, and then gradually add the finely ground sugar and vanilla extract

Switch to the whisk attachment and mix at the highest speed for nearly 10 minutes, the frosting should be pure white (it will take a while) and fluffy at this point and ready to spread. Trust me, the effort is well worth it on the frosting.

I love the the texture and taste of this frosting. Sometimes to make it a little stiffer, I add a little powder sugar.
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