ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Cooking Discussions › Pastries & Baking › Cookie dough darkening under vacuum
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Cookie dough darkening under vacuum

post #1 of 6
6/12/12 at 4:17am
Thread Starter 
Hello everyone
I hope someone can help shed some light on this subject. I have found when subjecting chocolate chip cookie dough as well as others to vacuum such as in vacuum packaging, the dough becomes darker in color and appears to have a more oily consistently. Does anyone know what is happening to the dough to cause this?

Thank you in advance.
Reply
post #2 of 6
7/21/12 at 7:50am

You are exposing the product to an intense vaccum.

May be something as simple as "pulling" the fat and/or chocolate out of the dough, causing some major breakage (and in the case of the chocolate, coloring the dough).

HTH.

Reply
post #3 of 6
7/21/12 at 10:25am

After making your dough, flatten it into a disk and freeze it solid.

Remove from freezer, THEN vacuum pack.

Reply
post #4 of 6
7/21/12 at 3:20pm

My wife who is a Master Baker says there are two possible causes for this.

One is that the dough is slightly overworked which brings out the fat and the packing shows this up, the other is that the storage temperature could also bring the fat out if it is too warm.

I hope this makes sense  as I am trying to write what she said.from memory!

Reply
post #5 of 6
7/23/12 at 10:30am

How does one become a Master Baker?  That is something I'd be interested in.

Reply
post #6 of 6
7/23/12 at 11:07am

You're de-emulsifying the dough.  You worked so hard to combine all those ingredients, and under the pressure of the vacuum, you're pulling them apart, at least to some degree.

If you're intent on specifically vacuum-packing the dough, then I'd follow Chefross's advice and freeze it first.

I personally make logs out of all my cookies doughs, shaping and wrapping with 24" wide plastic wrap, and freeze.  I use a Forschner 10.25" Bread Knife and cut through while frozen and bake.  While they go into the oven looking more like very uneven cubes, they come out surprisingly round and similarly shaped.  Works when selling smaller cookies by the pound, or not selling them period :-)

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Pastries & Baking
ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Cooking Discussions › Pastries & Baking › Cookie dough darkening under vacuum