What is the problem with overmixing? [duplicate]
Certain recipes (for example, corn bread, buttermilk biscuits) caution against overmixing: you're supposed to add the wet ingredients to the dry with a minimum of agitation.
Why?
And, is this related to why my friend's recipe for cornbread states that "some lumpiness is preferred"?
Best Answer
In the type of recipe you reference, all of which are quick breads, the result is supposed to be tender, not chewy.
Wheat flour has proteins in it, which if agitated in the presence of water, will combine to form a new protein, gluten, which is very chewy. Sometimes, this is desirable as in yeast raised bread, where the gluten forms the structure of the bread, and gives it its bite and chewiness. In fact, this is why (most) yeast raised breads are kneaded.
Gluten development is not desirable in tender quick breads, like cornbread or banana bread. Biscuits are a type of quick bread where the lumps of butter will promote flakiness, but you still want a tender crumb.
The flour and the liquids are combined as quickly as possible, with the least reasonably possible agitation, to minimize the development of gluten, and thus maximize tenderness.
The idea of leaving some lumps is to help prevent over mixing, and thus toughening the product. Even if there are some small lumps of unmixed flour, the liquid from the batter will penetrate them in a few minutes during baking, and they will not be a factor in the final product.
Pictures about "What is the problem with overmixing? [duplicate]"
What happens if you overmix the muffins?
Realize that overmixing can cause muffins to be tough, bake unevenly, create elongated holes (or tunnels) and/or form peaked tops.Why is overmixing of quick bread batter a problem?
The second problem revolves around gluten development: Mixing flour with liquids activates the gluten proteins that give baked goods their structure. Over-mixing, therefore, can lead to cookies, cakes, muffins, pancakes, and breads that are tough, gummy, or unpleasantly chewy.What happens if you overbeat a cake mix?
Dough can get aerated, which means too much air can be incorporated into mixtures. Mixing goods for an extended period of time can also result in extra gluten development; which means that overmixing will give you cakes, cookies, muffins, pancakes, and breads which are gummy or unpleasantly chewy.Why is it important not to overmix muffin batter?
When you overmix the batter, it crushes the air bubbles and ruins the fluffy texture. \u2192 Follow this tip: To ensure a batch of light, fluffy muffins, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just barely combined, and no more dry flour is visible.Problems With Overmixing Cake Batter \u0026 How To Avoid It
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