How often do you use protein cream recipes? Souffle, meringue, cake "Angel's Tears" can not do without whipped proteins. The ability to work with a capricious product does not come immediately. You should take into account the nuances that not every housewife knows.
Protein cream is a classic of confectionery art. Which of us has not eaten magnificent cakes and pastries decorated with voluminous snow-white cream? It is popular in modern times.
Most confectioners learn how to turn egg white into cream. How to whip protein cream? In appearance it seems so simple - beat with a whisk and get a snow-white bulk mass as a result. In fact, many are mistaken. There are many subtleties and nuances that can negatively affect the quality of proteins and prevent the cream from whipping. But the scientific approach and advice of pastry chefs will help any person to create this wonderful treat.
Why do proteins whip?
When you blow through a straw into a glass of water, bubbles appear and quickly disappear. But when you take the whisk in the air and inject it into the egg whites, bubbles form and linger, because the protein present in this viscous liquid envelops them and traps them.
Egg white is a mixture of proteins (10%) and water. Beating creates bubbles and “persuades” the proteins to regroup in a flexible grid, as if to wrap themselves around air bubbles. With continued whipping, the bubbles become smaller and the foam increases in volume and stabilizes.
Whipped egg whites can increase up to eight times their original volume. But a drop of yolk or a little oil in a bowl can reduce the mass volume by two-thirds. This is because fat binds to egg whites before they can connect with each other and form these nets necessary for trapping bubbles.
Equipment
Before you get the eggs out of the refrigerator, make sure you have the right equipment. Egg whites should be beaten in a glass, metal or ceramic bowl, because plastic bowls give a thin, oily residue that can prevent the whites from whipping. For the same reason, make sure your whisk or mixer is completely clean and dry.
Eggs
What is the secret to making protein cream at home? Fresh eggs will help to achieve the maximum full volume, as they are slightly acidic, that is, it helps to stabilize proteins. The longer the eggs lie, the more their environment becomes more alkaline. This makes proteins less stable. It is easier to beat eggs at room temperature, although cold eggs are easier to separate from yolks. Therefore, separate the proteins while they are still cold, and then let them warm to room temperature before whipping. If there is any amount of yolk in the proteins, they will not whip.
Whipping process
Beat egg whites at low speed until they froth. Then gradually increase the speed to high until the proteins have reached the desired stage.
To start the question of how to make a protein cream at home, we first understand the stages of whipping.
- Foaming - egg whites are still liquid, the bubbles look slightly dull.
- Soft peaks - egg whites are now white, will keep their shape in the bowl and will not spill out if the bowl tips over. When the mixer or whisk is raised from the egg whites, they form soft peaks, slightly falling sideways.
- Dense peaks - when a mixer or whisk is lifted from egg whites, the peaks will stand straight and not bend. When the dense peaks came out, it means that the egg white has reached its maximum volume and there is no need to beat it anymore.
- Broken proteins - if you continue to whip them in a state of dense peaks, the protein matrix will begin to break down and the cream volume too. Egg whites will become grainy, watery and flat. Once they are killed, they can no longer be saved.
Protein Cream Recipe Ingredients
Other ingredients are often added to egg whipped whites. Salt or tartar is added to egg white, which helps stabilize the protein matrix and increase volume. This is especially useful with fresh eggs, which can be slightly alkaline.
Sugar is often added to egg whites in the manufacture of meringues and other desserts, but it is important to introduce it correctly to maintain the integrity of the foam. Sugar needs to be added gradually to prevent the destruction of the mass, so start with a small amount after the egg whites become foamy, continue to add it gradually when you beat. This ingredient will help the cream gain a glossy appearance.
How to use egg whites?
Whipped egg whites should be used immediately, as they can lose volume or absorb moisture. Never add them to other ingredients. Instead, you should add sugar or other foods to your proteins. Gradually adding ingredients will help maintain cream volume.
How long to beat?
Protein cream recipes for soufflé and biscuits often say that you need to beat egg whites to soft peaks. At this stage, the proteins remain flexible, so they are easily combined with other ingredients. But more importantly, the air bubbles are still flexible enough to increase in the oven.
For chilled or frozen desserts, such as mousses and creams, where there will no longer be any effects on proteins, you can beat them to dense peaks. At this stage, the foam contains the tiniest bubbles, but their strength in quantity.
How to make a protein cream at home and not spoil it? If you beat the proteins to a state of soft peaks and were distracted to prepare other ingredients, returning to them, you may find that your work was in vain and the cream is spoiled. This happened because the protein foam is quickly exposed to air, begins to coagulate and loses its elasticity. So if you beat egg whites until soft peaks are sugar free, make sure all other ingredients are ready to be added after cooking.
Why is sugar needed?
As you already know, this air cream is made from egg proteins. Usually it is used only for filling wafer or puff tubes, eclairs, profiteroles or decorate cakes with it. The fact is that for the layer and impregnation it is not quite suitable. The cream is so airy and light that under heavy cake layers it simply settles.
The second important ingredient is sugar. It is necessary to stabilize protein foam and increase shelf life. Perhaps that is why protein creams store longer than oil creams. But still it is recommended to use it immediately, thereby preserving its volume.
What are the recipes for protein cream?
There are several types of such a cream:
- raw (prepared from raw proteins without temperature effects);
- custard (heats up during cooking);
- protein with gelatin (gelatin helps proteins become more dense and keep in shape;
- protein-oil (whipped oil is added to the proteins, which makes it heavier, but richer in taste); this is how muslin and meringues are made.
One of the most popular and favorite options for bakers is raw cream (also serves as the basis for meringues).
Cooking!
How to cook protein cream step by step? Let's start with the preparation for the preparation of the cream.
- Cool the chicken eggs to make it easier to separate the proteins.
- Rinse and dry very well the bowl where you will beat, whisk or mixer blades. If you get even a piece of fat or a drop of water, you will not reach the desired amount of cream.
Beat the whites with a mixer or whisk. There are pros and cons in both ways. When using a whisk, sugar dissolves well with slower whipping. It is faster and more convenient to do this with a mixer, but if the sugar does not dissolve completely, the protein mass will be less elastic. Sugar crystals in this case are felt in the mouth and give a casual look to the confectionery.
However, you can just grind sugar into powder, then the problem will be solved.
Simple Protein Cream
To prepare a raw protein cream at home (for profiteroles, for example), you will need:
- egg whites;
- icing sugar;
- citric acid or salt (optional).
Usually, a couple of spoons (tablespoons) of sugar or the same amount of powder is added to one protein.
How much cream will you get?
- two proteins per four tablespoons of sugar - 145 grams of cream;
- three proteins per six spoons - 215 grams;
- four proteins per eight spoons - 285 grams.
Why use citric acid and salt? The fact is that salt helps proteins whip faster, and acid will add a piquant flavor to the taste and make it not so sugary.
Do not forget to track so that not a gram of the yolk gets into the cream bowl, because it will not allow the whites to whip. Sometimes a protein cream is prepared in a water bath. To do this, a bowl of proteins is placed in a pot of boiling water and whip the cream. After the formation of bulk foam, remove the bowl and continue to work, otherwise the proteins will settle.
Custard
We will need the same ingredients plus syrup water. To get 230 grams of finished cream, you need:
- three proteins;
- six tablespoons of sugar;
- a quarter glass of water;
- three drops of citric acid (diluted in water).
Mix sugar with water and heat over low heat. While boiling, stir this syrup. How to determine if syrup is ready? This test method is called "ball test." Put the syrup in cold water. Having cooled, this drop should easily slide into a ball. Try not to burn yourself.
If you digest the syrup, the sugar may crystallize, and if not boiled, it will be too liquid. When the syrup is almost ready (but not quite), we begin to whip the whites. By this time, they should already be separated from the yolks and cooled.
So, the squirrels are already whipped to dense peaks. Now slowly pour the syrup into them, whisking at the same time. Keep whisking until the cream starts to cool.
What is this cream good for? The fact is that the syrup is very hot, and its temperature is enough to destroy harmful substances and microbes. How to color protein cream? Just add the required amount of liquid food coloring during the whipping process. Color can vary. It is also allowed to cook custard protein cream in a thermomix.
Protein Oil Cream
It is considered the best in terms of use for decorating confectionery. Brewed proteins give the cream the opportunity to stay fresh even without a refrigerator.
You will need:
- three proteins;
- 150 grams of powdered sugar;
- 150 grams of butter;
- citric acid and vanillin.
Calculate the proportions like this: one protein - about 80 grams of oil and about 50 grams of powder.
Remove the oil from the refrigerator in advance and put it on a plate. Let it become room temperature. Proteins need to be brewed, as in the previous recipe, and then slowly begin to add oil. Beat until all the butter has gone into the protein mass. Now you can use cream to decorate the cake. How to store protein cream in the refrigerator? Cover the bowl with a film so that the cream does not crust, store for a maximum of 5 days.