Overmixing & Gluten Development
Do not overmix. This statement is seen in many recipes, but do you know why? There are a few reasons you may see this warning, but this post will focus on overmixing as it pertains to gluten development and its impacts to the texture of baked goods.
Gluten Basics
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a combination of two proteins - glutenin and gliadin - found in some cereal grains such as wheat, rye, and barley. When water is introduced to flour made from these grains, the glutenin and gliadin combine to form gluten. Gluten helps provide structure and elasticity to doughs and batters.
What Does Mixing Do to Gluten?
Gluten is formed in baking when flour is mixed with a liquid. As you mix, the gluten strands stretch and organize into a network. The more you mix, the stronger the gluten structure becomes.
How Much is Too Much?
The amount of gluten you want depends on the type of recipe you are making. Breads need a strong gluten structure to hold their shape - this is why many bread recipes include lots of kneading. More delicate items like cakes and pastries will become too dense if there is too much gluten development - this is where the common “do not overmix” warning comes in. Minimizing the amount of time flour is mixed with liquid helps ensure a fluffy, tender crumb. This is not an issue if you are using gluten free flour.
How to Avoid Overmixing
Here are some tips to help avoid overmixing and prevent your cake, muffin, or quickbread from becoming too dense:
Use sifted flour - sifting flour before use reduces lumps and thus can reduce mixing time if you are trying to achieve a smooth batter.
Add flour all at once - adding flour all at once helps prevent from mixing more than you need.
Mix on low speed - once you add flour to a mixture, mix on low speed. Not only does this help prevent flour from flying everywhere in your kitchen, it helps you see exactly when your mixture is properly combined.
Stop mixing once flour streaks disappear - stop your mixer as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour. Mixing any longer is unnecessary and will only make your baked good more dense.
Finish mixing with a spatula - incorporate any flour left on the sides or bottom of your bowl using a rubber spatula. A couple folds is all you need.
What Can You Do If You Already Overmixed?
So you think you may have overmixed your batter - maybe you forgot an ingredient and had to add it after you already mixed in the flour or you stepped away from your stand mixer for a little too long - what now? All hope is not lost, and you should carry on with your baking. Different types of recipes have different sensitivity to overmixing, so there is a chance your baked good will be just fine! I’m sure it will still taste delicious even if it is a little more dense than you would have liked. If you ask me, a dense cupcake is better than no cupcake! The more you bake, the more you will get a feel for how mixing affects the texture of different types of baked goods.
Another option for overmixed cake is to make it into cake pops or bites - like these here! When you mix the cake with frosting, you won’t even notice the texture. Did I add this note to plug my own recipe? Yes, yes I did :)
