Temperatures

Those of us who work with hot sugar know that specific temperatures mean the sugar has reached a certain stage of development; thread, soft-ball, hard crack, etc. This is, of course, important to the type of candy we're making.

Did you know the same is true for baked goods? Did you know there is a proper temperature to bake a quick bread to? How about cheese cake? Or molten lava cake? Muffins? Well, it turns out there is. I love to research things related to food, cooking and baking. When I'm not sure how or why something works, or doesn't, I try to track down the reason as best as I can. In doing research for all sorts of food related things I sometimes dive a little deeper than I initially intended because I know it will help me at some point in the future. Cooking and baking temperatures is one of those things I never expected to dive deeply into but, now that I have, it has helped me time and time again.

Take quick breads as an example, I've made all kinds of quick breads in my baking journey. Some have turned out great, baked perfectly and tasted wonderful. Others have over baked and dried out but they were still edible. Still others have under baked which, in most instances, makes them inedible and they've ended up in the compost. When I was working, for a second time, with a new quick bread recipe that had some damp fruit in it, I wanted to be sure the bake would be complete. It was NOT the first time I made it. I had used the toothpick test, which came out clean, but the bread was definitely not done.

I figured there must be a way to be sure the bread was actually done for before I pulled it out of the oven to cool. I texted my primary go to resource, my son, who is classically trained in baking and pastry and asked him the question, "Is there a way I can be sure it's done?". His reply was, basically, "of course, take it's temperature". My reaction was, "Huh?". After a little more conversation and some additional research I discovered that quick breads should be baked to an internal temperature of 190 to 200F. Who knew? Obviously, someone knew and it wasn't me. After more research, I discovered there is a SUGGESTED internal temperature for most baked goods. The table below is a compilation of that research and lots of other interesting food related temperatures.