On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1049

zucchini,whosemoistnessreadilyblendsinto
themoistnessofthecrumb.Potatoesand
bananascanbemashedtobecomepartofthe
batteritself.
Muffinbattersgenerallycontainless
sugar,eggs,andfatthanquickbreads.The
ingredientsaremixedtogetherjustenoughto
dampenthesolids,andthemixbakedinsmall
portionsratherthanalargeloaf.Well-made
muffinshaveaneven,open,tenderinterior.
Theystalequicklybecausethesmall
proportionoffatisdispersedunevenlybythe
minimalmixingandcan’tprotectmuchofthe
starch.Overmixingproducesalesstender,
finerinteriorwithoccasionalcoarsetunnels,
whichdevelopwhentheoverlyelasticbatter
trapstheleaveninggasinlargepockets.
Green Blueberries and Blue Walnuts
Sometimes the solid ingredients folded into
bread and muffin batters turn disconcerting
colors: blueberries, carrots, and sunflower


seeds may go green, and walnuts blue. This
happens when the mix contains too much
baking soda, or when the soda isn’t evenly
mixed in the batter, so that there are
concentrated alkaline pockets. Because the
anthocyanin and related pigments in fruits,
vegetables, and nuts are sensitive to pH, and
theirnormalsurroundingsareacidic,alkaline

batters cause their colors to change (p. 281).
Small brown spots on the surface of the
finished bread or muffin are also a sign of
incomplete mixing; the browning reactions
proceedfasterinmorealkalineportionsofthe
batter.
Cakes

Theessenceofmostcakesissweetnessand
richness.Acakeisawebofflour,eggs,sugar,
andbutter(orshortening),adelicatestructure
thatreadilydisintegratesinthemouthand
fillsitwitheasefulflavor.Cakesoftencontain