Quetion on creaming

[mumu3]

Hi,
I have notice in recipes when call for creaming butter and sugar some tell you to put both in a bowl and start creaming and others tell you to cream butter first and then add sugar gradually. Does any one know why this is or is there different results by doing either way?

Thankyou,
mumu

[BettyR]

I am in no way an expert of any kind but I have been watching a lot of Alton Brown on Good Eats lately; I love his show because he tells you what to do and then he tells you why your doing it.

He said that the reason we cream our fats and sugar is to incorporate air into the mixture. That we are using the grit of the sugar crystals like little knives and cutting little holes in the fat and making little air bubbles. That is why if you have creamed your butter and sugar well enough it becomes all light and fluffy because you have pumped it full of air.

A chef in an earlier post said that you should cream your butter and sugar for chocolate cookies for at least 5 minutes.

So in the long run I don't really see how it could make that much difference how you start out doing it as long as the end results is the same, that being, a mixture that is light and fluffy.

I hope this helps.
Betty

[Eeyore]

I agree. I usually cream the butter a little first. But I think it just makes me feel better. lol

When making batter I cant see how it could make a difference. The only thing is that you can better tell the consistancy of the butter if you cream it a little. If it doesn't cream well you know the butter is still too cold.

Now, when creaming 10x or other confectioners sugar into butter, it might help to prevent lumps if you add it gradually. As well as preventing sugar from flying everywhere.

well, that's my 2c.

eeyore

[mumu3]

So am i right in thinking if your butter is already soften at room temp. there is no needs to cream butter first . Can just beat everything tog.? Still remains a question why a lot of rec. today say even after tell you soften room temp. butter to beat it first, than add sugar gradually? Has to be a reason why they would write a recipe this way.Would really like you thoughts on this .....


Thanks,
mumu

[mumu3]

I guess maybe the question should be are there different ways on creaming? If so what are they? Or could you please tell me how you would do this process? Sorry if this seems stupid to any one who has baked , but i am just stating off and would like to go the right direction.

Thanks Again,
Mumu

[BettyR]

Maybe it's the author’s way of getting you to cream the mixture longer than they think you would if they just told you to dump it all in and beat it up.
Betty

[BettyR]

Originally Posted by mumu3

I guess maybe the question should be are there different ways on creaming? If so what are they? Or could you please tell me how you would do this process? Sorry if this seems stupid to any one who has baked , but i am just stating off and would like to go the right direction.

Thanks Again,
Mumu

There is two ways of creaming that I'm aware of, by hand and with a machine.

I took some cooking classes in high school and my teacher told us of this cake that was called a Nun's cake. This cake recipe was written before the advent of electric mixers and was creamed by hand for three days.

I think the point of her telling us this story and giving us the recipe was to instill in us the importance of creaming a mixture properly; meaning long enough to get as much air in the mixture as possible.

The woman must have had arms like Arnold Schwarzenegger!
Betty

[mumu3]

Hi,
Would like know how every one else does this process, would you please share. Was reading in a cookbook that says to cream butter first, then add other ing. gradually to elimate the batter from being overwhelmed and lumpy. So what is the best way this way or the way you just dump all ingr. tog. un top of butter and cream that way? PLEASE SHARE YOUR PROCESS, very much appr..


Thanks,
Mumu

[Jayme]

Mumu- I cream butter (using an electric mixer) until it gets a fluffy texture, usually just a minute or so. Then add sugars, beat some more to regain the fluffy texture. Again just a couple of minutes usually. Add eggs and vanilla- mix in. Then I usually sift the dry ingredients onto the wet, and mix by hand with a (wood or plastic)spoon until just combined. Fold in ch chips. I usually use a small scoop to shape dough. Bake as directed. Turns out great!

[mumu3]

Jayme,

Thank you for sharing. Please every one else share.



Thanks,
Mumu

[aimsieg]

i am currently a pastry student and have learned a thing or two about the creaming method. what i was taught is that the butter MUST be softened to room temperature before anything else (which can prove to take quite a while if you've ever decided to make cookies or a cake on a whim...so plan ahead a little bit). the butter can be microwaved for a few seconds, but i would discourage against that because any butter that has melted is completely useless and absolutely cannot be used in a recipe calling for the creaming method.

the softened butter should be whipped, with either a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, for about five minutes. it will become light and fluffy before that, but you should keep it going to beat in as much air as possible. then, sugar is added and the mixture should be creamed for an additional 7-10 minutes...YES, 7-10 MINUTES!, again to incorporate air. scrape down the bowl once or twice as well when doing this. the main objective in the creaming method is to create as much air as possible. you will notice the mixture turning a much lighter yellow color. once this happens, scrape down the bowl and the eggs should be added one at a time, waiting until each has been fully incorporated before adding the next, also add any flavorings such as extracts, melted chocolate, etc. next, the dry ingredients are added, or alternated with any other wet ingredients that may be in the recipe. this should be incorporated very gently to avoid the development of gluten, which will make any baked good tough. cake flour has the least amount of protein, so it will produce less gluten. this is why it's the best type of flour you can use for things like cookies and cakes.

i suppose creaming butter and sugar together for such a long time is most important when baking cakes, you must rely solely on the air you produce while making the batter. but, most cookie recipes call for some other type of leavening agent such as baking soda or baking powder, or both. so, i don't think it's extremely necessary to cream for such a long time if leavening agents are called for because they will do their job in the oven. but it also depends on your preference. if you like your cookies "cake like", you definitely want to incorporate as much air as possible. if you prefer cookies that become more crisp, a lot of air will not produce those results. this all has a lot to do with the type of fat you are using too, but that's another post!! anyway, hope you've learned something and i didn't just ramble on and on for nothing!!

[qahtan]

If recipe says, CREAM butter and sugar, not mix butter and sugar.;-))))
I like to cream mine until it is very pale, and if it's regular granulated sugar
it should be partially homogenized into the butter.

All ingredients should be at room temperature. qahtan

[Eeyore]

hmmm. Im not really sure that creaming butter before adding sugar will make any difference. I still do it sometimes though. Just makes me feel better. lol You can incorporate some air in butter without the sugar but not much. You really need the sugar to form the tiny air pockets. It seems to me that you would be wasting time and energy. Except like I said before: to check the consistancy of the butter before adding the sugar.

I have found that in warm weather, creaming butter too long can warm it up. The softer butter gets the less air it will hold. It seems to me that you would actually want to get the most air incorporated in the least amount of creaming time. That being so, it could actually be a bad idea to cream butter without having any sugar in it to form air pockets.

Now it also depends on what you're making and the desired result. If you are making buttercream then you are most likely using powdered sugar. You still need to cream them and you do want to incorporate some air...but not like if you are making pound cake.

When a recipe calls for creaming fat and sugar in baked goods, then generally you are looking for "light and fluffy" It should be a very light yellow....however, these are just guides. I vary the amount of creaming in things all the time. With time you come to learn exactly how it effects the final product. That's how we learn, trial and error.

Hope this helps.
Eeyore

[mumu3]

Thanks every one for your feedback.

Mumu