Milk Street Q&A

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Jennifer - This cake sounds fantastic and I agree the sesame-honey combo could be great. I always say that, when it comes to baking, it's hard to make alterations that are guaranteed to work the first time. Since baking is a science you always have to assume that you may have to work with the recipe and make tweaks to get what you want. That being said, when substituting honey for sugar you need to account for their differences: 1.) honey is sweeter than sugar, 2.) honey is a liquid sweetener, 3.) honey browns quicker than sugar, and 4.) honey is more acidic than sugar. To start, I would substitute 3/4 the amount of honey as sugar and reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by 3-4 tablespoons (if there is no liquid in the recipe add an additional 3-4 tablespoons of flour). You should be OK baking at 350 degrees but if you find the cake is browning too fast I would move it to a lower rack and reduce the oven temp by 25 degrees (and bake it the next time at the lower temperature the whole time). Finally, I think you should be fine with the amount of leavener here but if you want to substitute honey in other recipes that only call for baking soda I would make sure to add an additional 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder to the dry ingredients to account for honey's acidity. However if you find the rise on this cake isn't what you expected you can try making it the next time with 1/2 teaspoon baking powder instead of 1/4 teaspoon and see if that helps. Which brings us to pan size. You can definitely make the cake in a 9-inch pan rather than the 8-inch pan called for in the recipe. Just know that it make take a bit less time to bake and will yield a slightly shorter cake. Hope this helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mitchell - Thanks for your question! First, keep in mind that, as it's written, the recipe yields (4 )12-inch pizzas so you would be looking at making 8-12 pizzas at once if you were doubling or tripling the recipe. That's a lot of pizza! :-) If you want to double or triple the recipe to freeze the dough you would only have to do the warming step for as many pizzas as you would be cooking at one time. Warming the dough at room temperature likely will not work here. That is because, in most homes, room temperature is not more than 70 degrees so the dough would never reach the 75 degrees that is required in the recipe. Since the temperature is so critical here I would be concerned it would get too hot if you tried to warm an oven and create a "proofing box" for the dough as an alternative. Therefore, warming the dough in warm water is, in fact, a critical step. This dough is so great and easy to work with, though, I think it's well worth the effort! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Raphaela - I’m sorry I missed your question! Claire, above, gives some good advice as to why your quick bread may sink in the middle. I would also add the following: \* confirm that your leavener (baking powder and/or soda) is active and you are using a reliable recipe that includes the proper amount of leavener. You can test your leavener by adding a small amount to a small bowl of vinegar. If it becomes fizzy, it’s still active. \*The proportion of wet to dry ingredients may be off. It’s always best to use the weights given in the recipe, if there are any, and to make sure to use a volume measurement for fruits. For example, if a recipe calls for 4 bananas it’s hard to know how much actual fruit 4 bananas will yield. Instead we call for, and recommend using, a cup measurement for bananas. In this case, that would equate to 2 cups of mashed banana. The most important thing is to test with a toothpick before pulling the bread out. Every oven is different and times can differ. If a toothpick comes out clean it means the bread is fully cooked and will not sink. Hope this helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Maureen - Unfortunately, Thai sticky rice or, glutinous rice, will not work in this recipe. The term “sticky rice” is used to refer to lots of different types of short grain Japanese, Chinese, or Korean rice. In the context of Thai cooking, “sticky rice” refers to long grain glutinous rice that is consumed most commonly in the north and northeastern parts of the country. The opaque white rice is usually marketed as Thai sweet or glutinous rice in the United States. Rice contains two types of starch: amylose and amylopectin. The amount of each starch, which is different for every type of rice, determines the texture of the cooked rice and whether it will be fluffy, creamy or sticky. Arborio rice typically contains about 15-17% amylose and a good amount of amylopectin which results in a creamy consistency. Glutinous rice has no, or negligible amounts, of amylose. Sticky rice is a starchy grain. If simmered the same way as Arborio rice (or simmered and then baked, as is done in this recipe), the grains will break down and become soft and mushy in consistency. Glutinous rice should soaked and then steamed to preserve it's texture. Thanks for your question! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Patrick - We used to call for 12 ounces of pasta because we were trying to abide by certain portion-size recommendations that call for 3 ounces of pasta for a single serving (so 3 oz. x 4 servings = 12 oz.). That being said, we are constantly reading and evaluating customer feedback and, therefore, we will now be calling for 1 lb. of pasta in our pasta recipes. Thanks for being a fan! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Beth - Thanks for your question! We haven't tested make ahead instructions for this recipe but, in general, breads and rolls freeze pretty well. For yeast doughs most experts recommend freezing the dough before shaping due to the potential for moisture loss. In the case of dinner rolls (in particular these super-moist sweet potato rolls), we prefer shaping, freezing, then allowing the dough to thaw/rise at room temperature on the day you want to bake them. It saves a lot of work on the day of and I think most people won't notice the small loss of moisture. I do this all the time with very lean dinner rolls and nobody complains! Although you could bake and freeze the rolls I think you would lose a lot of the benefits/joys of having freshly-baked rolls. If you decide to go that route, just make sure to wrap them well (either in plastic and then foil or a freezer zipper top bag) to protect them from freezer burn. For freezing shaped rolls, I like to freeze on the sheet and then transfer to a freezer zipper top bag. That way I can easily pull out a couple at a time for quick, freshly-baked rolls. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Marissa - First I would say, "don't mess with perfection!" :-) If you are loving the way your bars and breads are turning out, I would keep doing what you're doing and continue baking them in your glass pans. Glass is an insulator. This means that it's slower to heat up but will hold heat longer. This is why it's taking longer to bake your brownies and banana bread than recipes suggest. The downside is that it takes longer for the center to cook so the edges may overcook before the center is baked through which can cause the sides to rise higher than the center. I find that, especially with baked goods, personal preferences are wildly varied. So, while most experts and professionals would say that a metal pan is the preferred choice, you may prefer results in a glass baking dish. If you do decide to make the switch to metal, choose a light-colored aluminum pan which will offer more consistent heating and browning. Hope this helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Forrest - We published a list of common Milk Street ingredients (including za'atar) and some recommended substitutions in our July-August 2019 issue under the Kitchen Counts feature. You can find that list here. We suggest the following as a substitute for 1 tablespoon of za'atar - 1½ dried thyme + ¾ t sesame seeds + 1 t finely grated lemon zest + ⅛ t salt. I highly recommend our Za'atar-Roasted Chicken - it's one of my favorites because it packs a ton of flavor in its simplicity. Enjoy! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Michael - First, I will pass along your suggestions regarding comments on recipes to our tech team. Thank you! Next, let's talk about piadina. Piadina is an Italian flatbread that I would describe as more similar in texture to a flour tortilla or sandwich wrap than a pizza or naan dough. The flavor of the dough itself should be well-seasoned yet subtle, so as not to overpower or take away from the more flavorful fillings. Since it is never made with yeast and allowed to ferment like pizza or naan, the flavor will also not be as complex. However, the highlight of the piadina dough is the speed with which you can have a homemade bread on your table. The dough should not feel greasy after it has rested. Is it possible your lard was too warm? In the summer sometimes "room temperature" is actually a little too warm. Room temperature butter/shortening/lard should be around 65 degrees, which is probably a bit colder than most people keep their home. As for why your bread did not bubble, I can't be 100% sure. A number of things could be the cause including inactive baking powder, overdocking the dough, or not getting the pan hot enough. Naan is a very different bread than piadina, owing to the addition of yeast and rising time. I definitely think you could experiment with the piadina dough by adding yeast, milk, and sugar and turn it into something more similar to naan. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Jane - Definitely not! At Milk Street we never brown the meat for soups and stews. One of my top 10 favorite Milk Street Recipes is our No Sear Lamb or Beef Chickpea Stew. We found that as we traveled around the world most cooks didn't bother with the added cumbersome step of browning meat before making a stew and instead use abundant herbs and bold spices to add flavor to a stew. For some Milk Street stew recipes, such as our Tuscan Beef and Black Pepper Stew, we brown the meat by removing the cover halfway through cooking time and letting the oven do the browning work for us. Some suggestions for adding bold flavor without browning - tossing or rubbing the meat with a flavorful spice rub, slicing off the top and adding a whole head of garlic to the pot, using fresh ginger or chili peppers, and finishing with a generous handful of herbs. I hope this helps streamline your stew making! Best, Lynn C.