![]() ![]() He is constantly creating and customizing new recipes based on seasonality of ingredients, current culinary trends, and special dietary needs.Nik has also worked in pastry kitchens for major hotels, including The Four Seasons Chicago. His expertise of desserts and baked items include a wide range from casual, grab-and-go style to elaborate plated desserts, as well as wedding and celebration cakes, and a vast retail operation within the Des Moines Metro area. Specialties and expertise include recipe and menu development, wedding cake design, specialty cake decorating, and creating unique, seasonal desserts for restaurant and catering events.Nik works as the executive pastry chef of the Port of Des Moines Event Group and Doré Bakery, located in Des Moines, Iowa. Department of Agriculture and Colorado Counties cooperating.Nik Pugmire is a food writer and professional pastry chef with over 15 years of baking and pastry experience. ![]() Please feel free to visit our website at: for information about services provided.Įxtension programs are available to all without discrimination, Colorado State University Extension, U.S. As always, give me a call if you need help!įor more information contact Mary Ellen Fleming at 852-7381, or visit the CSU Extension Office for the San Luis Valley Area at 1899 E. If a cake is high in fat and sugar, it’s usually harder to make the adjustments. Some recipes are stubborn and require more adjustments. And yes, adjusting a recipe at high altitude is a matter of trial and error! I usually tell people to add the flour and the 25 degrees on the first attempt and see if that does it. It’s wise to make one to two adjustments at a time in order to gauge their effectiveness before trying more adjustment. These are some tips that I hope will help with your holiday baking. For this reason, place cookies on parchment paper or use an aluminum baking sheet. For this reason, a slight increase in liquid ingredients is advisable as well.Ī dark baking pan or baking sheet can brown the baked product too quickly. They not only provide more of the aforementioned protein but contribute more moisture to offset the effects of our high, dry climate. Use extra-large eggs instead of large eggs. An easy way to do this is to go down to next lower measurement on the measuring cup than called for in the recipe. Slightly decrease the amount of baking powder or baking soda the recipe calls for, since leaveners or yeast react with more force at higher elevations.īy the same token, slightly decreasing the amount of fat and sugar can offset their tendency to become more concentrated at altitude. You will likely have to reduce the baking time, so keep an eye on your goodies using the oven light (opening the oven door lets heat out increasing the chances of “falling”). This will help keep cakes from collapsing and cookies from spreading. This will give the gluten a chance to set and help prevent the item from “falling”. Next, increase the baking temperature by 25 degrees. Level the flour with a straight edged knife. For this reason, add flour.Īlways measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup rather than scooping it out of the bag or cannister. The gluten is what holds the structure in place. The leavening causes the gas that makes the product rise. Gluten is the protein component of flour that forms the structure of the baked good. Here are some tips for adjusting baked goods recipes:Īdd 2 – 4 Tablespoons flour to your baked good. Not so with baked goods! Because leavening gases expand more quickly, the baked product is likely to “fall”. Oven temperatures, however, are not affected by altitude, so sea level recipes work for oven-roasted meats. Meats cooked by simmering or braising may require 1/4 more time at 5,000 feet than at sea level. This includes meats that are boiled to tenderize them – i.e. So it takes longer to boil food at a high altitude. This means that water boils at a lower temperature at a high altitude than at sea level. Leavening gases in breads and cakes expand more quickly. Water and other liquids evaporate faster and boil at lower temperatures.Ģ. This decreased pressure affects food preparation in two ways:ġ. At sea level, atmospheric pressure is 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi), at 5,000 feet it’s 12.3 psi, and at 10,000 feet it’s only 10.2 psi – a decrease of about 1/2 pound per 1,000 feet. VALLEY - As you all know, cooking at high altitude requires time, adjustments, and patience! All of Colorado is considered high altitude, with the Valley being VERY high altitude starting at 6,800 ft.! At altitudes above 3,000 feet, preparation of food may require changes in time, temperature or recipe, because of lower atmospheric pressure due to a thinner blanket of air above. ![]()
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