Crispy Buffalo Wings
Today i’m going to tell you the secret to Crispy, Crunchy, and Tangy Buffalo Wings that are perfect for the big game.
Hey Football Fans,
Have you ever tried making buffalo wings at home for game day? I’m sure most of you have before…. BUT have you made really delicious restaurant quality ones? Probably not. Today i’m going to tell you the secret to Crispy, Crunchy, and Tangy Buffalo Wings that are perfect for the big game.
The Wings
Alright - so the main thing we want to do with the wings is give them a nice crunchy outer skin layer without adding any breading. In order to do that, we’re going to want to reduce the moisture from the inside of the wings. So first, we’re going to PAR bake the wings on a wire rack so the fat and extra water that’s inside the wings can drip out below. (par bake means that we aren’t going to fully cook the wings. We don’t want them to dry out on us.) Once the wings are par baked, we’re going to pull them out of the oven and let them rest. Then, we’ll give them a quick seasoning, toss them in baking powder, and bake with whatever method you prefer. Air fry, fry, or bake these up for a crispy golden delicious exterior and a tender juicy interior.
The Sauce
Use about 6-8 oz. of your favorite hot sauce and mix with 2-4 Tbsp of melted butter, depending on your heat preference. Toss the crispy cooked wings in the sauce and serve with chopped parsley or green onion, bleu cheese, and some carrot and celery sticks!
The Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pat your wings dry with paper towel, then salt.
Place wings on a wire rack into preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes.
Salt & Pepper the wings and lightly coat them in baking powder
Cook the wings using preferred method (Bake, fry, or air fry) until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
Toss your wings in the sauce you made
Plate and serve with blue cheese, carrots and celery sticks, and garnish with parsley or green onions.
Enjoy!
Keep spreading love, good people!
Best,
Chef Jake
Working with Yeast Doughs - What to Look For
As someone that bakes bagels for a living, I’ve learned a thing or two about what you need to look for in a healthy yeast dough. Here are a few pointers and things to look out for when working with a yeast dough.
Hey Friends,
As someone that bakes bagels for a living, I’ve learned a thing or two about what you need to look for in a healthy yeast dough. After all, yeast is a living organism and you need to treat it as such! Here are a few pointers and things to look out for when working with a yeast dough.
#1) Use Instant Yeast, for your baking endeavors. It’s easy to work with, has a relatively long shelf life, and you don’t need to worry about keeping it alive. Besides, even most professional kitchens and bakeries use instant yeast for their dough.
#2) When hydrating the flour with water remember that cold water will slow down yeast activity ultimately giving the dough more time to develop its flavors. This also means it will take longer for your dough to rise and be ready to work with, however. Warm water will speed up the yeast activity meaning that it will rise much faster, but at the compromise of flavor.
#3) Oil is often called a “Shortener”. This is because when added to a flour that contains gluten, the oil will cause the gluten strands to shorten, making the dough less stretchy, which could ultimately affect the oven spring of your finished product. This could also be a desirable characteristic, depending on what type of final product you’re trying to make.
#4) Besides sweetening the dough, the presence of added sugar speeds up yeast activity and allows the dough to proof more quickly. Be careful of adding too much sugar, however. If the dough rises too quickly the gluten strands won’t have time to strengthen. This means as soon as you try to pick up the dough or work with it at all, it’ll deflate very quickly and most likely be sticky and hard to work with. Also be mindful of the affects of white vs. brown sugar. Brown sugar causes the end product to have a more firm and darker crumb.
#5) Salt is necessary in order to give the dough flavor. Be weary when mixing the salt with your other dry ingredients, though. Salt prohibits the development of yeast in the dough. To be safe, add salt to one side of your bowl and yeast to the other side of your bowl before adding your wet ingredients. This allows the yeast a chance to get hydrated by the dough before the salt comes into contact with it.
#6) Mixing the dough allows the gluten strains to strengthen and develop. In most dough applications, the dough is properly mixed when you can poke it with your finger and the exterior of the dough bounces back from the indentation left by your finger. Dough is slightly tacky but easily comes off fingers.
#7) A little baking soda when dissolved in water, can be brushed on to most dough products just before they are about to be baked to give your dough a “pretzel effect”.
#8) Baking with dough can be very challenging for cooks of any level. The moisture in the air can affect the way flour fills your measuring cups. When baking, it’s important to measure ingredients by weight. Using a scale will ensure consistent results and a better finished product!
I hope these tips helped you overcome whatever baking challenges your facing! If this blog didn’t answer your baking questions, reach out to us on chefjpexperience.com and we’d be happy to do our best to steer you right.
Keep spreading love, good people!
Best,
Chef Jake