The Maillard Reaction and Cultured Butter

  After researching and writing about the Maillard reaction in pretzel bread, and the fermentation process in butter for our pre-investigation assignments, I was eager to see the processes take place in real life. This week’s class was fully interactive and hands-on. We began with making our bread and pretzel bread by measuring 850g of flour and 20g of salt. We then activated ~6g of yeast in 550g of 105 degrees fahrenheit water and added it to the flour/salt mixture. After thoroughly stirring and kneading the dough, we sealed it tightly in a bowl and placed it outside in the warm sunshine. This is where the rising process took place in our dough. The warm air aided in the growth and expansion of the live yeast, which released carbon dioxide bubbles into our dough. These bubbles lifted and expanded the dough for a full 45 minutes, when we then “punched down” the dough to break up the larger bubbles. After a second round of kneading, we split the dough in half. Half we shaped into rolls and placed in the oven, and half we began the process of making pretzel bread with. To do so, Dr. Caswell boiled a large pot of water and baking soda in which we dipped our shaped dough. Dipping into this alkaline solution altered the dough’s chemical makeup by breaking down its proteins. After their alkaline baths, we placed the pretzel dough in the oven and watched as the marvel of the Maillard reaction took place. As Noelle Carter states, “As it bakes, the color intensifies and turns a deep, glossy brown,”occurring from the sugars and small proteins combining, “the pretzel tak[es] on a crisp, chewy texture. The alkali is neutralized in the process, making the pretzel safe to eat.” (2011 p. 1)

  While our breads continued to cook, we finished up the process of making our cultured butter. After removing our fermented butter/buttermilk mixture from the refrigerator, we poured it into the stand mixer and began to whisk it. As the whisking went on, the mixture became thicker until it finally “broke.” At this point, the butter and buttermilk had separated, and it was time for us to place the solid butter in an ice bath and extract the rest of the buttermilk. Once we had thoroughly strained the butter, we added salt, and it was ready to eat! A delicious treat of pretzel bread and cultured butter was enjoyed by all.

References

Carter, N. (2011). “Making a soft pretzel is a knotty challenge.” The Los Angeles Times.

Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/20/food/la-fo-pretzels-20111020