How the difference in the amount of flour added affects the height of the soufflé? (Priscilla)

CCST 9045 Individual Project – Souffle

UID: 3035568398

Research Question:

How the difference in the amount of flour added affects the height of the soufflé? 

Introduction:

Soufflé is a classic dish characterised with its unique airy and soft texture. Additionally, it is originated in France while the name “soufflé” means “to blow” or “to breath” in French. Interestingly, there are different version when it comes to making soufflé given that it could be a sweet dessert but can also be a savoury main dish. Meanwhile, the amount of flour added is one of the important factors contributing to its fluffiness. Therefore, it is my aim to investigate how the amount of flour added altering the height of a savoury soufflé. 

Experimental Test (5W)

Who: Chong Wing Laam from group 17

What:

To test how the amount of flour added affecting the height of the soufflé

Where:

My Home

When:

Carry out the test after baking 5 soufflé with different amount of flour added

Why:

To find out the most suitable amount of flour added which would give the most desirable fluffiness of the soufflé.

How:

Bake 5 savoury soufflé based on the same recipe but with a different amount of flour added. Then carry out the test to determine the result, in which the height of the soufflé is measured when it is freshly baked. 

Recipe¹

Material needed (For 4 servings)

3 tbsp (40g) butter 

1/3 cup (40g) flour (Which might vary in different experimental samples)

1 cup (240 ml) milk 

1 tsp (5g) 

salt (2g)

1/4 tsp (1g) black pepper 

4 large eggs (50g/1)

1/2 cup (50g) Swiss cheese

1/2 cup (50g) Cheddar cheese 

1/4 cup (25g) Parmesan cheese 

Preparation

1.     Preheat oven to 375 F (190C). Place a baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven. Butter 4 ramekins of 8-9 oz (230-250ml) capacity and coat the bottom and sides with flour. Discard excess flour.

2.     Separate whites from yolks and set aside until ready to use.

3.     In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir until smooth, and cook for about 1-2 minutes, until bubbling. Gradually stir in milk, until mixture is smooth.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 2-3 minutes more or until thickened. 

4.     Remove from heat and stir in cheeses. Add egg yolks one at a time and then add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer mixture to a larger bowl and let cool slightly.

5.     In a separate bowl whip whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold the whipped whites into the cheese mixture.

6.     Divide mixture evenly into the prepared ramekins. Sprinkle grated parmesan on top of each.

7.     Place the ramekins onto the preheated baking sheet and bake for 25-30 mins until golden and puffed.

8.     Serve immediately. 

Cooking time

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Total: about 45 mins 

Independent Variable	Dependent Variable	Controlled Variables
-       The amount of flour added to the soufflé (20g, 30g, 40g, 50g, 60g and 70g)	-       The height of the soufflé -       This reflect the fluffiness of the soufflé *To be more specific, it is measured bottom up from the edge	-       The amount of other ingredients (including butter, milk, salt, black pepper, eggs and different cheese) -       Brands of all ingredients (including butter, flour, milk, salt, black pepper, eggs and different cheese -       Time of mixing (All the ingredients + Egg white) -       Speed and strength of the mixing process (All the ingredients + Egg white) -       Time of beating of the egg white -       Boiling time in Step 3 -       The cooling time after the addition of  egg yolk and cheese in step 4 -       Baking time for the soufflé -       Capacity of the ramekins -       Baking temperature (190C) -       The thickness of the butter and flour coat on the ramekins in step 1

Science behind the amount of flour added into the soufflé:

To begin with, we have to first look into the definition of fluffiness and how it is formed. The main process contributing to the rise of the soufflé is the beating of the egg white. The science behind is that the beating process allows the air bubbles incorporate into the egg white, hence facilitate the protein denature which in other terms the protein is unfolded and undergo a structural change.² By the end of the beating, the denatured protein orient around tiny air bubbles, thus there will be an increase in volume of the foam given that the egg white take up the air.

The flour, with starch as its main component, plays a very critical role in terms of the rise of a soufflé. It is found that air bubbles will expand under high temperature when baking, in other words once the baked soufflé encounter cool air which lowers its temperature, it might deflate as the air bubble starts to pop. The function of the starch is to reinforce the air bubble by  increasing the surface tension of the protein, which allows a more stable foam formation.³

Additionally, the starch also gives the structure of the baked goods given that there is gluten formation when it meets water and heat.⁴ Yet, when there is too much flour added to the soufflé, the gluten formation might exceed a point we desired, hence forming a tough structure and also preventing the air trapping of the egg white.

Alongside with that, different types of flour would have distinctive gluten formation tendency regarding the fact that their amylose to amylopectin ratio and their protein content vary.⁵ It is advised to use cake flour as it contains lower percentage of protein, thus less gluten is formed in the soufflé while the fluffiness can then be maintained.

In short, the different amount of flour added to the soufflé is critically affecting its fluffiness. More explanation and verification will be done in this experiment.

Reference:

1.  Home Cooking adventure. (2018). Cheese Soufflé. Retrieved from https://www.homecookingadventure.com/recipes/cheese-souffle
2.  Zayas, J. (1997). Functionality of Proteins in Food. Berlin: Springer Heidelberg.https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-642-59116-7#authorsandaffiliationsbook
3. Asghari, A., Norton, I., Mills, T., Sadd, P., & Spyropoulos, F. (2016). Interfacial and foaming characterisation of mixed protein-starch particle systems for food-foam applications. Food Hydrocolloids, 53, 311-319. Retrieved from : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268005X15300825
4. Baker pedia. (2019). Starch gelatinization. Retrieved from https://bakerpedia.com/processes/starch-gelatinization/
5. Lauterbach, S., & Albrecht, J. (1994). NF94-186 Functions of Baking Ingredients. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1412&context=extensionhist