Don’t Be Afraid Of A Souffle

Souffles have a reputation for being a pain to make. Many people have the misconception that if you breathe too heavily or make a loud enough noise while the pastry is baking, it’ll deflate and your entire afternoon spent preparing it will have gone to waste. While souffles are definitely a bit touchy, they’re actually not as difficult to make as people think. Follow these simple steps and you’ll have the perfect sweet or savory souffle for your online pastry school course.

Get the right equipment
What makes or breaks a souffle happens before it even reaches the oven. Even the most seasoned chefs can’t make a proper souffle without a rubber spatula, an electric mixer, and a ceramic souffle dish. A souffle dish has to have straight sides for the pastry to inflate correctly.

All about the eggs
In order for your souffle to rise, you cannot let any yolk into your egg whites. Break the egg very gently to ensure the yolk doesn’t get pierced, as that’ll make it much more difficult to separate the yolk from the whites. It’s also important to do this in an immaculate mixing bowl. Any residue from what was previously in there can affect the consistency of the whites. Whip the whites until they’re stiff and gently fold them into the custard mixture. Don’t mix them too much – letting all of the air out can hinder the souffle from rising. If there are still some streaks of egg white left in the custard mixture, that’s OK.

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Coat your dish
A simple spray of cooking grease won’t do in a souffle. Instead, coat in the inside of the pan with butter and then a dry ingredient. This ensures that the souffle doesn’t stick to the dish, and also doesn’t make it greasy. If you’re making a sweet souffle, use sugar, brown sugar, or cinnamon to dust the pan. If you’re making a savory souffle, consider Parmesan cheese or some breadcrumbs. Some souffle dishes have a collar, and some people add one with tin foil in order to make the souffle rise higher. If your dish has a collar, fill it all the way to the top of the pan. If it doesn’t have one, three quarters of the way will do.

Don’t bake it for too long
Those souffles that collapse when a pin drops are too dry. Souffles become dry when they bake for too long. In order to make sure your souffle is cooked enough, but not too much, jiggle the dish just a bit a few minutes before it’s supposed to be done baking. If the top of the souffle moves just a tad and has a lovely golden color, the souffle is ready to come out of the oven. Consider baking it on top of a cookie sheet so it’s easier to remove from the oven without jostling it around too much. Eat it right away, as souffles taste best when they’re still warm and fluffly.