Just when you think you’ve mastered your favorite baking recipes, a wet, humid day arrives. Maybe you live in an area where extreme humidity is the norm.
Moisture in the air caused by excessive humidity may drastically alter the result of any recipe. Muffins may be flat and underbaked, and your classic Devil’s Chocolate Cake may not be as moist as normal.
Don’t let the humidity spoil your baking. While baking, use the following tips and tactics to guarantee that your banana bread or dinner buns come out of the oven smelling and tasting delicious.
Contents
- 1 – What High Humidity Does to Baking
- 2 – How to Check Humidity Levels
- 3 – Use Less Liquid
- 4 – Modify Baking Time
- 5 – Keep Dry Ingredients in The Fridge
- 6 – Use A Marble Board
- 7 – Chill Cookie Dough Before Baking
- 8 – Cool the Air
- 9 – Let Muffins and Cupcakes Rest
- 10 – Chill Bowls and Pans
- FAQs
- What to do when baking in high humidity?
- What problems do bakers have on humid days?
- How do you bake bread in high humidity?
- What are the best tips for hot humid weather?
- How do you deal with 100% humidity?
- How do I lower the humidity in my bakery?
- What is the best humidity for baking?
- Is it OK to bake a cake on a rainy day?
- What does high humidity do to dough?
- How do you keep humidity out of flour?
1 – What High Humidity Does to Baking
High humidity causes moisture in the air to get trapped into the dry ingredients while baking a cake or yeasted bread. This comprises the following ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda.
This additional moisture changes the texture and result of baked goods, converting your fail-safe recipes into a hit-or-miss baking day.
Humidity influences not just the ingredients but also the baking time. The standard 35-minute baking time for squares is just a little too short to remove all of the excess moisture.
Most recipes will need more baking time, so add some minutes to your recipe.
2 – How to Check Humidity Levels
How do you determine the humidity level in your kitchen? The most basic method is to purchase a hygrometer, which monitors humidity levels.
When the humidity level is high, the gauge will alert you. Anything beyond 70% indicates that you should change your baking ingredients and processes.
The ice cube technique is another approach to test for humidity. In a glass of water, place four ice cubes. Wait 5 minutes after stirring. Condensation on the exterior of the glass indicates that the humidity level is high.
3 – Use Less Liquid
Reduce the amount of liquid in a recipe’s components. Since the dry components will retain more moisture, lowering the liquid will help to balance the consistency. Reduce the quantity of buttermilk to 1 cup if your cake calls for it.
Check for uniformity after mixing. If the batter is too dry, add one tablespoon at a time until it looks perfect, taking careful not to use more than the 1 cup specified in the instructions.
Add cooled liquid to the batter or dough if your kitchen is hot and damp. This will cause the butter or other fats in the recipe to melt more slowly. Check that the liquid is not too cold, since combining an egg-containing batter might alter its stability.
4 – Modify Baking Time
To account for the excess moisture in high humidity, increase the baking time of the recipe. Let the cake to bake for an additional 3 minutes. Afterwards, verify for completion. Test every 2 to 3 minutes to avoid overbaking!
Only increase the baking time for cookies by 1 minute increments; it is much too simple to burn cookies by overbaking for even 30 seconds.
A word on increasing the oven temperature. While it may seem logical to bake at a higher temperature, baking just takes longer at higher temperatures. This might result in a dry cake or difficult, thick cookies.
5 – Keep Dry Ingredients in The Fridge
Storing dry ingredients for baking in the cupboard exposes them to the humidity and moisture in the air. Refrigerating them allows less moisture to absorb into the materials.
During the summer, when humidity is a factor, I keep flour, sugar, baking powder, and soda in the fridge, pulling them out about an hour before baking to allow them to get to room temperature.
6 – Use A Marble Board
Baking flakey pastry or pie crust in high humidity is considerably more difficult than baking other baked items. As soon as you lay out the pastry, moisture begins to accumulate and soften the dough. And soft dough will modify the texture of your baked goods, making them hard and rough.
By utilizing a marble board, you may avoid this issue.
Refrigerate the board for at least 2 hours before baking. Next, on the refrigerated board, roll out the dough. This keeps the butter in the dough cold, ensuring that your baked goods are buttery and have those delightful flakey layers.
7 – Chill Cookie Dough Before Baking
It’s not only delicate baked foods like pastries that benefit from chilling. On humid days, I also chill my cookie dough before baking.
This prevents the butter from melting in the high humidity, which causes cookies to flatten and lose their form when baking.
8 – Cool the Air
Even when humid, colder air does not retain as much moisture as hot air on a summer day. Close the windows and put on a fan or air conditioning an hour or more before you begin baking. Instead, if you have one, use it.
These ways will reduce humidity and remove extra moisture from the air in your kitchen.
9 – Let Muffins and Cupcakes Rest
Excessive humidity might cause your muffins and cupcakes to fall instead of rise. Let the batter to sit at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes is one technique to prevent this.
This will cause the leavening in the muffins or cupcakes to diminish, resulting in perfectly rounded tops.
10 – Chill Bowls and Pans
Place the dishes, pans, and cookie sheets in the refrigerator before you begin baking. The idea is to keep anything that comes into contact with the dough or batter cold. When the butter in the recipe is placed in the oven, it will remain cold and melt more slowly.
Don’t let the humidity mar your baking session. Follow these suggestions for baking in high humidity to ensure that your favorite cakes, cookies, and pastries come out flawlessly every time.
FAQs
What to do when baking in high humidity?
According to the website OurEveryDayLife.com, when baking shortening-based cakes on exceptionally humid days, increase the oven temperature by 15 degrees and reduce the baking time by five minutes, “since air pressure is lower on wet days and moisture evaporates quicker.” And …
What problems do bakers have on humid days?
The moisture balance in a recipe is affected by the humidity level in your indoor air, as well as whether your baked products fall flat, are too thick and chewy, or are too dry and crumbly. Flour, sugar, salt, and other dry substances will absorb additional moisture if the humidity is high. When the humidity is low, they get drier.
How do you bake bread in high humidity?
The air conditioner.
Keeping your tools cool (i.e., bowls)
Ingredient storage that is free of moisture.
Lowering the quantity of water that is utilized.
Increased baking time.
How to Bake Bread in Humid Conditions and How to Deal with It
Making use of ice-cold water.
Refrigerated proofing.
Using a fan
What are the best tips for hot humid weather?
Remain as much as possible inside in an air-conditioned environment. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, drink lots of water. Plan your outside activities wisely. Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothes and sunscreen.
How do you deal with 100% humidity?
Use these strategies to remain cool and dry even when the humidity is high.
Keep hydrated. This may seem to be a no-brainer, but it is critical.
Restriction on strenuous outdoor activities. Spend more time inside to avoid sweating in high humidity.
Employ an antiperspirant. Use talcum powder. Use a dehumidifier.
Wear the Proper Clothes.
How do I lower the humidity in my bakery?
Fortunately, there are a few steps you can do to minimize humidity in your bakery case.
Purchase a Case with Humidity Controls.
Do Not Place Hot Cakes in the Display Case…. Experiment with the Vents…. Use Soda Bicarbonate…. Contemplate Boxing Baked Products…. Limit Opening and Closing the Case in Hot Weather.
Oct 30, 2017
What is the best humidity for baking?
The appropriate relative humidity percentage, which is typically 40 to 60 percent in most applications, may vary depending on the procedure. Proofing baked products, for example, benefits from somewhat higher values – about 80% – to ensure dough efficiently leavens and expands with just enough moistness.
Is it OK to bake a cake on a rainy day?
Cakes for a Rainy Day
Your cake will rise quickly in the oven, but will collapse abruptly either late in the baking process or immediately after you remove it from the oven to cool. You’ll get a cake that’s properly cooked around the edges but fallen and thick in the center.
What does high humidity do to dough?
If you see your yeast doughs becoming stickier and softer than usual, it’s most likely due to hot, humid conditions. Reduce the quantity of liquid in the recipe — normally by around 10% in my experience — to bring your dough back to normal.
How do you keep humidity out of flour?
Refrigerator: To avoid moisture buildup, store flour in an airtight container such as a glass jar, plastic container, or airtight plastic bag.