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Need professional baker advice please!!

post #1 of 56
8/4/11 at 7:58am
Thread Starter 
Ok, so I am in the middle of culinary school and have just been hired to be the bakery person at a local college. Right now they use box mixes because they haven't had the skill level to execute scratch recipes. They are looking to me to be the person with that skill set. =/ Now, I don't have a problem baking from scratch at home or at school but to do large yields I'm afraid it'll be more difficult. Am I correct in this assumption? I can easily convert recipes, learned that a while back. But is it different at all for baking? Will just doubling or tripling a recipe still result in a successful recipe? Are there any books or cookbooks you can recommend that will make this any easier? Thanks for your help!
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post #2 of 56
8/4/11 at 8:22am
Not to be a smart azz and all, but, shouldn't you be asking your instructors this question if you are in culinary school?
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post #3 of 56
8/4/11 at 8:22am
You can't just double/triple/ quadruple batters. There is a rule, but I can't remember what it is called. Leah_s mentioned it in another post but I can't find it. You could PM her and ask her?

It's something to do with the ratios.
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post #4 of 56
8/4/11 at 8:27am
Toba Garrett's book, The Well-Decorated Cake, has a recipe for "high volume" cake batter. It's mixed in a restaurant-sized giant mixer and does use different proportions. Most recipes will double ok, but beyond that, I don't think so...
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post #5 of 56
8/4/11 at 8:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by btrsktch

Not to be a smart azz and all, but, shouldn't you be asking your instructors this question if you are in culinary school?



Umm, first of all, thanks for not having anything helpful to add. What is that about anyway? icon_rolleyes.gif
Yeah, I sent my instructor an email. I am on break between semesters. I thought there may be professionals here that could recommend a book or two. Thanks to you who did offer helpful advice. I will look into that book. I didn't think you could convert baking recipes the same way. Much science involved in baking.
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post #6 of 56
8/4/11 at 8:45am
I don't have a book to recommend. I have successfully (outcome of product was optimal) tripled and quadrupled cake recipes. I haven't tried any larger batches because, well, I just don't own a bowl that big. If I did, I would've tried larger batches. Mixing time was extended during particular stages (creaming the fat and sugar and again after the addition of the eggs) (mixing time was definitely less than it would've been mixing them separately though). Other than that, the mixing and measuring was the same. I didn't increase or decrease any ingredients. I've done it this way for as long as I've done cakes when multiple batches of the same flavor were needed. So, I wouldn't consider it a fluke.
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"Be the change you want to see in the world."- Mahatma Gandhi

miniature cake tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/user/MyNewSneakers?feature=mhsn
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post #7 of 56
8/4/11 at 8:50am
Maybe I've just been lucky, but I've never had a problem scaling up recipes. I began baking professionally with a home baking license. I'd had no commercial baking experience and didn't know I was "not supposed to" so I just kept increasing the batch sizes of everything I made. My business eventually moved into a small retail shop so my home-sized recipes increased to fill a 30 qt. mixer. The only thing I would do to adjust recipes was slightly increase/decrease an ingredient to make measuring easier. For instance, if my scaled up recipe called for 3 3/4 tablespoons baking soda, I changed it to 1/4 cup baking soda. The largest mixer I've used was an 80 qt and ditto no problems scaling up. But using a larger mixer, you must be careful about scraping down the paddle and bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
website www.BakingFix.com
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website www.BakingFix.com
blog www.BakingFix.com/thefix
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MimiFix
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post #8 of 56
8/4/11 at 9:04am
Not to be smart, but where is your culinary baking book, most f the recipes in those books yield large quantity. I just grabbed my book and the recipe for poundcake yields 8 cakes.. If your book doesn't make large quantities, best shop for a book that does. Scaling if faster than standard measuring. The book I have referenced is, professional baking by Wayne gisslen.
"Tomorrow is another day." Scarlett O'Hara my hero.
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"Tomorrow is another day." Scarlett O'Hara my hero.
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post #9 of 56
8/4/11 at 9:10am
Thread Starter 
I'm done
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post #10 of 56
8/4/11 at 9:22am
You could try these:

http://recipesforacrowd.com/cakes

http://cookingtipoftheday.blogspot.com/2009/05/large-quantity-recipe-antique-satin.html

http://cakecentral.com/recipes/6940/delicious-large-quantity-cake-mix

http://www.lindyscakes.co.uk/Blog/2009/07/27/how-to-i-change-a-cake-recipe-quanities/

http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/quantity/lemon-raspberry-wedding-cake.htm

There were others. I googled "large-quantity cake recipe."

Good luck! icon_smile.gif

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I hope I die before "your" is the official contraction of "you are."

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post #11 of 56
8/4/11 at 9:24am
I really was trying to be helpful, you asked for a book to buy. I went and dug through A cabinet to find the book. I have been out of school for a while and it took about 15 minutes for me to find the book....I could have been doing my dishes , but I was trying to help, sorry you were so easily offended. Been on this website a while, and most people really are trying to help, we all take things wrong sometimes...
"Tomorrow is another day." Scarlett O'Hara my hero.
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"Tomorrow is another day." Scarlett O'Hara my hero.
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post #12 of 56
8/4/11 at 9:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by myheartsdesire

I'm done



What happened here? I thought all the responses were helpful.
website www.BakingFix.com
blog www.BakingFix.com/thefix
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website www.BakingFix.com
blog www.BakingFix.com/thefix
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MimiFix
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post #13 of 56
8/4/11 at 9:36am
Hmm what is in the water today?
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"An artist discovers his genius the day he dares not to please." ~Andre Malraux
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Award winning cake designer and fine art sculptor.

"An artist discovers his genius the day he dares not to please." ~Andre Malraux
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post #14 of 56
8/4/11 at 9:43am
Thread Starter 
Not really offended as much as frustrated. I have been searching online all day and haven't came up with much. I thought maybe someone here might have some advice. Thanks for your advice. As far as my baking books, the only one I have from school has horrible recipes. I just recently switched from the culinary side to pastry. I am nervous about my new job. I know I can do it. I just wanted to go into it with a little more knowledge.
I'm not trying to start another thread that gets locked. It probably will turn into that though.... Anyway, I have seen several innocent questions be answered with some snobby, smart aleck answer and I am tired of it. I have way too much stress in my life to let something that is fun to me become horrible. By the I'm done thing, I mean just that. I'm finished with this site. Thank you to most of you. You have had wonderful advice the past few years and I am thankful. But I have got to simplify my life. Bye cake central.
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post #15 of 56
8/4/11 at 10:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tiptop57

Hmm what is in the water today?



I'm not sure!!!
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