Some of the luxurious homes in Breckenridge, Colorado feature kitchens extraordinaire for the family chefs. Those samplings of Breckenridge real estate are for the dreamers among us that yearn to get beyond grilling hamburgers when we have company. Some of us would be happy if we could simply present a flawless, flaming birthday cake at a child’s party. Others host family reunions year after year. There are actually residents of Summit County real estate who love to wine and dine their friends regularly. They are the ones who light up all six burners on the professional stove during preparations.
In order to succeed in the kitchen of your Breckenridge CO home, it is best to understand a few tricks for cooking and baking at 9,600 feet above sea level. The lower atmospheric pressure affects time, temperature, and ingredients.
Water and other liquids evaporate faster and boil at lower temperatures. For example, the boiling point is 212 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level; boiling point is 194 here in the Rocky Mountains. The pressure cooker will need to work harder to build up enough steam to kill bacteria when canning. Leavening used in breads and cakes will expand faster and more. If you have a bread machine, the dough could burst out of the pan, similar to the rising of a hot-air balloon. Even simple things like pancakes may rise too much and lose structure.
First of all, some recipes will work just fine up here. You will need to try them out. If a recipe flops, here are some variables that may need to be adjusted.
1. Leavening agents. Try reducing baking powder by 1/8 teaspoon or more per teaspoon in the recipe. Reduce baking soda by ¼. If acidic liquids are included in the recipe, then you will need to add ½ teaspoon of soda for each cup of the liquid when making quick breads. To keep the natural air in the batter, avoid excessive beating of ingredients, especially eggs and egg whites.
2. Sugar. Sugars become more concentrated at higher altitudes because of the rapid evaporation. Reduce by at least 1 or 2 tablespoons per cup.
3. Liquid. Conversely, higher evaporation rates mean that you will need to add more liquid, 2-4 tablespoons or more.
4. Eggs. Try using extra-large eggs or add more eggs than the recipe calls for. Use cold eggs for egg whites.
5. Fats. Reduce fat content for quick breads by 2-4 tablespoons and avoid margarine, which has a high fat to water ratio.
6. Flour. Flour strengthens the structure. Add 1-6 extra tablespoons unless you are using a cookie press. Because of #1 above, avoid self-rising flour.
7. Baking pans. Baked goods will expand more and also have a greater tendency to stick. Use less batter and be sure to line the pans or grease and flour them well.
8. Oven temperature and time. If you increase the oven temperatures from 15-25 degrees F and bake for a shorter time, you can offset the effects of rapid leavening and preserve some structure. Be careful, though, if you are making delicate cakes or using a high chocolate content. They could easily burn.
9. Yeasted bread. Yeast can be decreased by ¼ to ½. Use flour with high gluten content, salt, and good-quality yeast (none of that rapid-rising yeast). You will have the best luck if you let your breads rise twice.
10. Cakes. Use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, Bundt pans, and fill them only to ½ full. If your cakes rise too much, try dropping the pan a couple of inches onto the counter before putting it into the oven. Angel food cakes need some beating to develop the gluten yet not too much because of the eggs.
11. Pies. Use a bit more liquid for the crusts and minimize the flour used when rolling out.
12. Cookies. Try reducing a bit of the flour and adding a bit more liquid. Brown sugar works better than granulated.
