French Up your Perfect Macaron
A delectable meringue-based confection has gained ever-increasing fame over the recent years, however, it comes as no surprise that many a bakery aspire to create the perfect French Macaron to give their customers the true Parisian experience. The limitless possibilities of flavour combinations and vibrant colours amalgamated with varying textures of crispiness and chewiness make macarons the culinary treat that they are. Macarons are made using simple ingredients namely egg whites, sugar and almond flour. An ingredient list that could make one wonder, what could be so hard in making macarons? Well, to bake macarons with absolute perfection, it requires using the correct technique, accurate proportions, fine quality ingredients with careful attention to minor details that hugely impact the final results. Let us delve a little further into the major reasons for macaron failures.
The Egg Problem
A perfectly whipped batter is key to getting the light and crispy shell of the macaron. To achieve this, it is essential that the batter contains only egg whites and the addition of even a tiniest amount of egg yolks could be detrimental to the texture of macaron. Reason being that the high fat content in the egg yolks that in turn retards the airiness of the batter which thereby could cause the macarons to be heavy and dense. Therefore, separating the egg white from the egg yolks is critical for the perfectly textured macaron. Let’s say that you pay attention to this crucial step and whip up a smooth macaron batter, what do you do with the egg yolks? While many mindful bakers use them for custards & cakes, on the contrary, some establishments that do not serve these products might simply lead to disposal resulting in wastage.
Inconsistencies in the Almond Flour
Getting the right granulation of the almond flour/almond meal plays a major role in getting the ideal texture and mouth-feel of the macaron. As well as, an ideal selection of an almond flour with a balanced fat content becomes difficult as almonds are not well-suited for this application, and this could affect the overall quality of the macaron. Even if one does manage to get the right kind of almond flour, ensuring the same consistency and quality each time is a challenge that many bakers face.
Problems encountered during Mixing
Once the accurate amount/ratios of ingredients are collected, mixing them at the right speed, for the correct duration and in a suitable mixer is crucial to get an airy light batter. If under mixed, the shell of the macaron will be flat or will not form a well-rounded base of the shell. If over mixed, the shell could crack and could even form tiny bumps or air bubbles which spoil the overall visual appeal and shape of the macaron. Although the process simply includes mixing all the ingredients together, a minor slip-up can majorly affect the shape, presentation and texture of this delicate meringue-based confectionery.
Problems encountered during Baking
Even after attaining the perfectly whipped batter, the macaron still needs to be baked precisely at a correct oven temperature with adequate aeration inside. If this is not taken care of, the macaron could have a soft & cracked shell or a dry & hard shell. Not only this but the macaron could also bulge out from the base or the top causing frustration and lowering the morale.
Even though the macaron is made using basic ingredients, one has to pay a lot of attention to every detail starting from the procuring of good quality ingredients and proportioning them correctly to the proper mixing and ultimately baking them under right specific conditions. Getting the macaron perfect is a laborious task where consistency is not guaranteed. Even if one does get the macaron right through trial and error, there is a significant cost involved in achieving this as it uses expensive ingredients like almond flour. This may not be feasible in a commercial setup, where consistent results, minimal wastage, ease of preparation and quick turnaround time are important factors related to its profitability.
It is with these concerns in mind, that we at SwissBake® formulated a unique mix for the French Macaron that doesn’t require the baker to worry about the details involved in getting the macaron right. Just add water, mix, pipe and bake. It couldn’t get easier than that! A convenient and complete mix, SwissBake® Macaron Mix will give guaranteed consistent results, is easy to prepare without having a bakers’ mess, is feasible and will give authentic French Macarons in just 15 minutes.
SwissBake® offers a wide range of products and solutions for professional & commercial bakers in order to help them prepare high quality products consistently and easily. We already cater to the needs of many bakers who rely on us for our premium quality convenient mixes and customized solutions for authentic bakery products. For more information on French Macaron or any other product, feel free to reach us on solutions@swissbake.in.
The Egg Problem
A perfectly whipped batter is key to getting the light and crispy shell of the macaron. To achieve this, it is essential that the batter contains only egg whites and the addition of even a tiniest amount of egg yolks could be detrimental to the texture of macaron. Reason being that the high fat content in the egg yolks that in turn retards the airiness of the batter which thereby could cause the macarons to be heavy and dense. Therefore, separating the egg white from the egg yolks is critical for the perfectly textured macaron. Let’s say that you pay attention to this crucial step and whip up a smooth macaron batter, what do you do with the egg yolks? While many mindful bakers use them for custards & cakes, on the contrary, some establishments that do not serve these products might simply lead to disposal resulting in wastage.
Inconsistencies in the Almond Flour
Getting the right granulation of the almond flour/almond meal plays a major role in getting the ideal texture and mouth-feel of the macaron. As well as, an ideal selection of an almond flour with a balanced fat content becomes difficult as almonds are not well-suited for this application, and this could affect the overall quality of the macaron. Even if one does manage to get the right kind of almond flour, ensuring the same consistency and quality each time is a challenge that many bakers face.
Problems encountered during Mixing
Once the accurate amount/ratios of ingredients are collected, mixing them at the right speed, for the correct duration and in a suitable mixer is crucial to get an airy light batter. If under mixed, the shell of the macaron will be flat or will not form a well-rounded base of the shell. If over mixed, the shell could crack and could even form tiny bumps or air bubbles which spoil the overall visual appeal and shape of the macaron. Although the process simply includes mixing all the ingredients together, a minor slip-up can majorly affect the shape, presentation and texture of this delicate meringue-based confectionery.
Problems encountered during Baking
Even after attaining the perfectly whipped batter, the macaron still needs to be baked precisely at a correct oven temperature with adequate aeration inside. If this is not taken care of, the macaron could have a soft & cracked shell or a dry & hard shell. Not only this but the macaron could also bulge out from the base or the top causing frustration and lowering the morale.
Even though the macaron is made using basic ingredients, one has to pay a lot of attention to every detail starting from the procuring of good quality ingredients and proportioning them correctly to the proper mixing and ultimately baking them under right specific conditions. Getting the macaron perfect is a laborious task where consistency is not guaranteed. Even if one does get the macaron right through trial and error, there is a significant cost involved in achieving this as it uses expensive ingredients like almond flour. This may not be feasible in a commercial setup, where consistent results, minimal wastage, ease of preparation and quick turnaround time are important factors related to its profitability.
It is with these concerns in mind, that we at SwissBake® formulated a unique mix for the French Macaron that doesn’t require the baker to worry about the details involved in getting the macaron right. Just add water, mix, pipe and bake. It couldn’t get easier than that! A convenient and complete mix, SwissBake® Macaron Mix will give guaranteed consistent results, is easy to prepare without having a bakers’ mess, is feasible and will give authentic French Macarons in just 15 minutes.
SwissBake® offers a wide range of products and solutions for professional & commercial bakers in order to help them prepare high quality products consistently and easily. We already cater to the needs of many bakers who rely on us for our premium quality convenient mixes and customized solutions for authentic bakery products. For more information on French Macaron or any other product, feel free to reach us on solutions@swissbake.in.
