The problem from the test: how baking changes in summer
Baking is traditionally very popular among our compatriots, but it is logical to assume that with the onset of summer, options that are better suited for hot weather appear in the assortment of restaurants and bakeries. Izvestia found out which ingredients come to the fore during this period and which sweet or unsweetened pies, puffs and sweets become the most in demand.
What products are used in baking in the summer
The summer season is rich primarily in berries and fruits, so confectioners try to actively use them in their products, sometimes supplementing them with light custard and curd creams.
Monogram with nectarine
"Desserts with strawberries, nectarines and blueberries are the first on our menu, in July we focus on raspberries and blueberries, and by the end of summer they will be replaced by plums, figs and apples," Olesya Lopushkova, chef of the Svet I Zarya bakery (Yaroslavl), told Izvestia. — In the visual appearance, desserts in the summer are characterized by a combination of bright colors with a pastel, delicate palette.
Strawberry puff pastry copy.jpg
Among the summer headliners of the Svet I Zarya bakery, you can find a monogram with nectarine, a puff pastry with strawberries and a layered eclair with pistachios and raspberries. Desserts are made on the basis of puff pastry combined with white chocolate cream. When baking in the summer, our interlocutor recommends using seasonal berries and fruits, as they are at the peak of their taste. Any pastry will turn out juicier with them. Chef Lopushkova also advises adding a little lemon, lime or orange zest to any dough or cream (for a more interesting taste) and dipping the pastry a little in classic sugar syrup so that it gets a beautiful appearance and a brighter taste. Lovers of citrus notes can add a little orange or lemon juice to it.
Strawberry tart with mascarpone cream, aloe and tarragon and peach sorbet
— When working on baking in the summer, we certainly try to use a seasonal local product, — Elena Tropina, brand pastry chef at Berrywood Family (Krasnoyarsk), shares her experience. — These are Siberian berries (honeysuckle, irga), nuts and even mushrooms. For example, last August, as part of the Tigastro festival, we launched a shoo with porcini mushroom cream and pine nut praline, and the guests were delighted with them.
According to our expert, eclairs with strawberries and ganache made of white chocolate and basil, meringue rolls with seasonal berries and tartlets with compote of fresh seasonal strawberries and mascarpone cream become unequivocal favorites among the guests of the Varvara + Jerome pastry shop in summer. When using berries in desserts, it is very important to ensure that the product is not over-ripe, with excessive moisture, or, conversely, under-ripe, as this will negatively affect the taste.
However, bakers do not limit themselves to berries in the summer season.
"Summer in St. Petersburg is not always pleasant with the weather, but a crispy sausage puff pastry, which we complement with a delicate curd cream with pickled cucumbers, will definitely lift your mood," says Alexey Alekseev, restaurateur and concept chef of the Inner restaurant (St. Petersburg). — We work with taste combinations that have been proven over the years. We add black currant jam to the same cheesecake from childhood, soak the almond croissant abundantly with rum syrup, and prepare the banana cupcake, which is loved by many, with sourdough for greater juiciness and bright flavor.
The hit of the summer showcase at the Danish confectionery Inner is a puff pastry with vanilla cream with mascarpone and fresh strawberries. It is made from yeast dough layered with butter so that the result is 12 thin layers. Then the dessert is baked at a high temperature (so that it retains its juiciness from the inside and at the same time becomes crispy from the outside), supplemented with cream with natural vanilla and generously decorated with seasonal berries.
Cheesecakes with black currant jam and brie cheese
—In summer, everyone wants light flavors and textures, something sweet and sour to refresh their receptors in the heat,— says Alexey Bratashov, brand pastry chef at the Lila restaurant complex (Moscow). — Our Lila Pastry shops have a favorite among summer pastries — this is the Lemon cupcake, which is based on the classic French financier dough with lemon zest, filled with lemon paste and covered with chocolate glaze. A light sponge cake made in the technique of a Japanese roll with a filling of fresh strawberries with delicate cream is also popular.
Lemon cupcake
Our expert considers citrus baba (a classic rum baba that uses limoncello liqueur instead of rum) with light citrus jam and mascarpone-based cream to be one of the best summer baking options. The woman herself pleases with a pleasant soft texture, the citruses tingle the tongue a little because of the acid, and the creamy cream at the end makes you want to try another piece.
What other baked goods are popular in summer
In summer, people are drawn to lighter tastes. In bread and pastries, this is reflected not so much in the dough recipe as in the fillings and textures.
Cherry pie
"Few people know today that there has been no bread in Siberia for a long time in our usual sense," Polina Antonova, pastry chef at the Siberian cuisine restaurant Manul (Moscow), told our publication. — It was replaced by tortillas made from ordinary flour, fried over a fire, in oil or in an oven. It was bread, a side dish, and even a dessert when berries or sour cream were added to the dough.
The Manul project decided to preserve this authentic tradition by adapting it to modernity. The tortillas are not fried, but baked in the oven so that they are less greasy, with a crispy crust and a lively taste. In summer, they are especially popular with guests. Another seasonal favorite is three types of pies. The first option is made with a cabbage filling (a mixture of pickled and baked in a wood-burning oven) with mashed baked garlic. The second one is with beef cheek stewed with vegetables. The filling is placed in a soft dough, and broth is served to the pie. The third is with scramble, a small amount of cream, which is added for juiciness, and fermented Yakut onions.
Snail with cherry
The composition of the dough in bread does not change in summer, but it is important to understand that in warm weather this product behaves a little differently, our interlocutor continues. The temperature rises, the humidity increases, and this accelerates the fermentation process. Experienced bakers, fortunately, feel all this perfectly well and know how to maintain a stable dough quality regardless of the time of year.
— One of the main components in our baking is time, explained Mikhail Ivanenko, the chef of the Chudo-Yudo restaurant (Moscow). — To get a truly high-quality product, it often requires prolonged fermentation. It is she who saturates the dough with taste and aroma.
Lavender bread
According to the expert, artisan bread today opens up space for experiments in which it is interesting to play up the connection with nature and local culture. As an example, we can take birch bread, which has recently appeared on the menu of the Chudo-Yudo restaurant. It is based on ciabatta dough mixed with birch juice, which gives the bread a light freshness and softness. The pastry also contains fermented black garlic paste, which reveals deep umami notes and subtle sweetness. The silhouette of the bread resembles a log: during cooking, the dough is rolled into a roll, crumbles in bamboo charcoal and wheat flour, due to which cracks form on the crust during baking, repeating the natural pattern of birch bark.
Khachapuri penovani and khachapuri penovani lobiani
"Various khachapuri dishes are very popular with guests in the summer," says Vladimir Alekseev, chef of the Georgian Stories restaurant (Nizhny Novgorod). — We make our pies according to old recipes, with butter, bake them until golden brown and generously add real suluguni. I would also like to mention shotis puri, a type of saber—shaped Georgian bread with a characteristic hole in the middle. We bake it in tandoor tone, and it goes well with many dishes, including summer soups.
Shotis puri
Georgian Stories also prepares author's versions of khachapuri: for example, with smoked bacon. Among the classic ones, there is an interesting version of penovani lobiani, an appetizing puff pastry pie filled with a spicy mixture of beans and cheese. The beans in this dish should be buttery and tender, and the filling itself should be greasy. For an appetite-stimulating flavor, add garlic, coriander, coriander and other spices to the bean puree and then pour hot oil on top. You can cook khachapuri penovani lobiani not only in the oven, but also in a dry frying pan.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
