We recently received this great question from Diana Odenbrett. What is the equivalent of switching a cake recipe from regular flour to cake flour? Test Kitchen to the rescue!

To substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour, reduce the amount of flour called for by 2 Tbsp. per cup.  In a pinch and out of cake flour.  Whisk together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 Tbsp. cornstarch to equal 1 cup cake flour.

Cake flour is soft wheat flour with low protein content.  What does this mean to a novice baker?  It’s more forgiving than all-purpose flour. If you make a mistake and over mix the batter, the cake’s texture won’t be tough after baking. Less gluten is developed, and for cakes this is a critical factor – it means a soft, tender crumb. Cake flour is bleached, which explains its very bright, white appearance.

Baking with whole wheat can be a little tricky especially if you're trying to substitute whole wheat flour for ALL of the all-purpose flour in a recipe.  Check out our test kitchen tips for baking with whole wheat. 

Q: I'm substituting whole wheat flour for white flour in an attempt to cut down on white flour in baked goods.  My recipe for oatmeal cookies is coming out dry!!!  Any suggestions for adding something to a standard oatmeal cookie dough recipe that might help with this problem?  Any tips for cutting down on the "wheaty" taste?

We’ve found that a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour works best in most baking recipes.  If you substitute whole wheat for all of the AP flour, you will need to tweak the fat and liquid ingredients to achieve the desired texture in whatever you are baking.  May we also recommend whole wheat pastry flour instead of stone-ground whole wheat flour.  Flours differ in the amount of protein and gluten-forming proteins which alters the way liquids are absorbed.  For this reason, we like to start with a combination of whole wheat and AP flour in order to minimize the amount of tweaks or changes we need to make to the recipe.  This will also minimize any “wheaty” flavors as well.

Photo Courtesy of FLIKR http://www.flickr.com/photos/santos/2117347362/

Q. I have had a recipe for Pound Cake that is from February 2000 issue.  I have been intimidated to try it, but bit the bullet a couple of weeks ago.  It was a hit!!  All I took home was crumbs and my cake carrier.  Thanks, Southern Living for giving me confidence to make a Southern tradition.

 
Also, I have a real problem!!  My mother used Red Band flour until she quit cooking, and I the same.  I have since learned that it has been discontinued.  What flour do ya'll use in the test kitchens at Southern Living?  I tried KIng Arthur flour on my chocolate cake receipe several years ago.  If I had dropped it on the floor, it would have gone all the way to China and beyond.  With Red Band flour, the cake was light  and springy; with King Arthur, it was flat and hard as a brick.  Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Cecil A.

A.White Lily flour is the hands-down winner from our staff.

Every recipe deserves the chance to succeed. And the success of a recipe depends largely on the quality of the ingredients used. Therefore I thought I would create a list of some of the test kitchen's favorite items and the reasons we love them, to help you become the great southern chefs you aspire to be.  In these economic times it's tempting to always choose generic products, but sometimes it's worth it to spend a little extra.

Q: After I drain cooked spaghetti, I rinse under cold water, then drain well.  However, when I put the pasta in a bowl or on a plate with the sauce, everything seems to water out...and I end up pouring off excess liquid.  What am I doing wrong?

Nikki D.

Q: I used your recipe to make Southern Soda Bread - directions said to shield it using aluminum foil. I did what I thought shield meant, covered the loaf pan. The batter rose to the top and stuck. The bread is fine but what did you mean by 'shield"? 

From the recipe: "2. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Rotate pans in oven, and shield with aluminum foil." 
Dr. Lew Jury.,  Manheim, PA

A: Dr. Jury,  Thanks so much for the email.  By shield, we mean to loosely cover with foil to prevent the bread (or pastry, or pound cake) from overbrowning.  This is usually done after the bread is turning golden on the  outside, but isn’t completely done on the inside. From our testing, it should have been cooked enough after 45 minutes to not stick when shielded. Best regards, Scott Jones

Q:
I am a long time subscriber to your magazine and have also purchased many of your books. I recently received my copy of your Christmas with Southern Living 2009. In it I found something that has left me very puzzled.

In your book Christmas with Southern Living  2009,  a recipe on page 130 for chocolate bread calls for turbinado sugar. It is also mentioned in several other recipes as one of the ingredients. What is this and where can it be purchased? I have searched through my cookbooks and reference material and have found nothing. Your help would be appreciated. Marion Edwards

There are two types of people in the world; people that fry and people that don't. I'm happy to say that I love to fry. Unfortunately, it's not something that my diet will allow me to do often, but whenever I decide to treat myself to crunchy, crispy, juicy, chicken, I fry it.  There are several reasons you may not want to fry and I do understand your concerns.  Here are some of the reasons that I've heard and some tips that may help you change your minds.