Creaming in baking refers to the technique of beating butter or shortening and caster or icing sugar together until fluffy, lemon white in colour and increased in volume due to the incorporation of tiny air bubbles. These bubbles stay in batter and enlarge the cakes with the help of a certain amount of leaving agents such as baking powder or baking soda. Poorly creamed butter can result in cakes or cookies that are disappointedly coarse and dense. The traditional fat used for creaming is real butter, but vegetable shortening is the most effective to work with. Never melt the fat to soften.
110 g Unsalted butter
angiesrecipes or Vegetable shortening
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220 g Caster sugar
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1. To cream butter and sugar properly, begin with the butter of right temperature. Butter that is too cold and it is difficult to work with and won’t blend with sugar. Too warm, it won’t held the air bubbles at all. To cream effectively, 18C/65F is the ideal temperature. Measure with a temperature thermometer or lightly press the block of butter with the index finger and it bents slightly, it is ready to be creamed. Make sure your mixing bowl is at room temperature too. I usually dice the butter directly out of the fridge and allow them to sit for 5 minutes to reach the right temperature. Meanwhile I go ahead with other instructions called in the recipes, such as sifting the flour or greasing the baking pan. Another important influencing point is the ratio of butter to sugar quantity. The general ratio for creaming is half as much butter as sugar.
   
   
2. For a smooth textured cake, fine white sugar (or brown or a combination) will apply in the recipe. When creaming butter by hand, use a wooden spoon as it holds the butter best and keeps it from sliding around the bowl. While it is possible to cream butter and sugar by hand, it is much faster and easier to use an electric mixer. In this step, we add sugar gradually at the side of the bowl while mixing, beating thoroughly after each addition. When using an electric mixer, it is important to start at low speed first to combine all the ingredients, then switch to medium speed to beat sugar and butter until the mixture fluffy and pale. Stop to scrape the bowl down periodically to make sure everything is thoroughly combined, about 5 minutes. If you have patience and time, then add sugar one tablespoon at a time, the whole process should take 8-10 minutes. It is important not to beat any more than absolutely necessary as it will just diminish its strength o hold the air bubbles. Any extracts can be added in this step.
   
3. The creamed mixture is suitable for making creamed cakes or cookies and it should be used immediately because you don't want the butter in the creamed mixture to soften and the beaten air pockets to disappear. After creaming, room-temperature eggs usually will be required to beat in for optimal volume and for a smooth texture because the lecithin in yolks acting as a perfect emulsifier.

Jiānbĭngguŏzi (煎饼果子)
Jiānbĭngguŏzi (煎饼果子)is something quite unique of Tianjin. Jiānbĭng, or "pancake" is prepared with egg and cooked on a skillet, then topped with a
guŏzi (果子)
guŏzi (果子)(commonly called in Northern China) or Yau Char Kwai(used in Southern China) or fried dough stick, drizzled with scallions, sesame seeds and sauces and rolled up, like a wrap
wrap

#Sponge:	#Dough:
80 g Sourdough starter 100 g Tepid water 150 g All-purpose flour	All the starter above 320 g All-purpose flour 180 g Tepid water, 1+1/2 tsp Salt 1/3 tsp Baking ammonia (Ammonium Bicarbonate) 1/4 tsp Potassium carbonate (Potash) 2/3 tsp Baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) 1 tsp Baking powder (a mixture of Tartaric Aid and Sodium Bicarbonate)

1. Combine first the starter, water in a bowl, and then stir in flour until a dough forms. Cover with a plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 12-18 hours. Whisk together ammonia, potassium carbonate, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. Pour in water and blend all together.
   
2. In a larger container, add in the sponge and flour. Pour in the mixture and stir them into a ball. Cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Set the dough on a greased work surface. Lightly press the dough into a flat rectangle and fold into three. Give it a quarter-turn to the right, cover and allow it to rest for another 15 minutes. Repeat folding and relaxing two more times. Now place the dough on a lightly oiled baking peel, press out the dough into a rectangle, about 5mm thick. Cover closely and chill overnight.
   
3. Next morning, remove the dough from the fridge and divide the dough into 3x1-inch long strips. At the same time heat up a heavy skillet half-filled with frying oil until 180C/350F. Lightly press together two strips, which are overlappingly to each other, holding two ends closely and low them into the hot oil. Fry and turn the dough sticks until golden brown. Drain and cool slightly. These fried dough sticks are very often consumed with congee or soya drink
   soya drink. Besides eating fried dough sticks with congee and soya drink, you can prepare a Fried Dough Stick Wrap, a traditional breakfast in Tianjin and Beijing.

3-4 section Yau Char Kwai (8-inch long) 50 g All-purpose flour 10 g Semolina 100-120 g Water

2 Eggs, lightly beaten 1 tbsp Chilli sauce 1/2 tbsp Seafood sauce 2 tbsp Chopped scallions 1 tsp Sesame seeds 2 tsp Vegetable oil

1. Mix together flour, half egg and water until you have a well-combined and lump free mixture. Heat up a skillet, and brush with a bit of oil. Scoop 3-4 tablespoons of batter over Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
   
2. Pour some egg over, sprinkle chopped scallions and sesame seeds. Cook the batter for a1-2 minutes. Turn and cook the pancake until golden brown. Place it on a serving plate and brush with the sauces. Center the Yau Char Kwai and wrap up.

The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard
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#Gelatinized Rye Mix:	#Main Dough:
240 g Boiling water 60 g #1150 Dark rye flour	200 g Rye leaven at 21C/70F 50 g Water at 19C/35F 200 g #1150 Rye flour 100 g #970 Light rye flour 1 tsp Sea salt

1. Cool the boiling water until it reaches 90C/194F. Quickly whisk in the rye flour trying to avoid too many lumps forming. Cover the bowl and leave for 1 hour (or up to 24 hours). This gelatinized mixture will give the crumb of the loaf some elasticity.
   
2. Whisk the rye leaven into the cold water, then whisk in the gelatinized rye mix (saving 1 tablespoon to brush over the loaf). Stir this with the dry ingredients until you have a soft sticky paste. Tip this dough out on to a lightly oiled work surface and knead gently into a ball. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
   
3. Shape the dough into a baton or a ball. Place the loaf seam-side-up on a floured cloth or baking paper, pulling the cloth up around the dough to hold its shape or proof it on a basket. Leave to rise at room temperature for 5 hours or until the loaf has almost doubled in size.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Carefully upturn the loaf on to a tray and brush with the gelatinized rye mix. Spray the loaf lightly with water, and bake for 50 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack. When cold, wrap tightly in baking parchment, and leave for a day before slicing. Spread the bread slices with desired toppings.

Leavened bread is bread that has risen, puffed with gasses that creates a cellular network of pockets throughout the dough. These gasses are produced by fermentation, a process whereby an organism, in this case one of the Saccharomyces strain of fungi we know as "yeast", releases carbon dioxides as it assimilates and uses the sugars present in the dough. Bacteria can also ferment sugars, and are often present together with yeast when fermentation occurs.

Yeast might be found on the surfaces of grains such as wheat, or on the skin of fruits rich in sugars, or in a spoonful of an already fermenting mixture. When these are mixed with fresh water and flour, the yeasts will slowly multiple and ferment. Some bacteria will give the leaven its distinctive sour aroma and taste - as with the bacterium Lactobacillus Sanfrancisco, which has been isolated by scientists, and to which the remarkable bright flavour of the San Francisco sourdough is attributed.
( The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard. )
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#Day 1:
50 g Water at 20C/68F
20 g Dark rye flour (I used Diamant #1150)
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2 tsp Bio raisins
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2 tsp Plain yoghurt, low fat
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Mix all the ingredients in a 500 ml jar or similar container. Cover and leave at room temperature (approx. 20C/68F) for 24 hours.
#Day 2:
50 g Water at 20C/68F
20 g Rye flour (I used German Diamant #1150 Dark Rye
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When you open the jar, you'll see that there is a glossy, watery film on the surface, with silt at the bottom of the jar as some separation has occurred. If you smell the contents you may perceive a hint of fermentation. Add the water to the jar and then stir in the flour. Cover and leave again at room temperature (approx. 20C/68F) for 24 hours.
#Day 3:
100 g Water at 20C/68F
50 g Rye flour (I used Bio #997 Light Rye
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When you open the jar, you'll notice tiny bubbles like those that form on the inside of a Champagne glass on the surface. These show that the fermentation, caused by the yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (lactobacilli), is well under way. Add the water to the jar, stir well to combine, then add flour and stir again. Cover and leave again at room temperature (approx. 20C/68F) for 24 hours.
#Day 4:
100 g Water at 20C/68F
110 g Rye flour (I used Bio #997 Light Rye
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By this time the froth of fermentation should be beginning, though the hint of acidity in the aroma is rather vague. Discard three-quarters of the mixture. Add the water and stir well. Remove the raisins by pouring the mixture through a strainer (I kept the raisins), then put the liquid back to the jar. Add the flour and stir again. Cover and leave again at room temperature (approx. 20C/68F) for 24 hours. Replace the rye flour with 125 grams of strong white flour if you need a white leaven.
#Day 5:
100 g Water at 20C/68F
110 g Rye flour (I used Bio #997 Light Rye
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The fermentation should be clearly evident, and the aroma starting to become acid. Discard three-quarters of the mixture. Mix in the water, and then stir in the flour. You should have a thick paste now. Cover and leave again at room temperature (approx. 20C/68F) for 24 hours. Replace the rye flour with 125 grams of strong white flour if you need a white leaven.
#Day 6 Onwards:

The mixture is bubbling and fully activated. Each day as you remove some leaven for baking, replacing it with an equivalent amount of flour and water, the aroma of the leaven will become stronger and more sharply acidic.

To keep the starter activate, alive and healthy, you will have to feed them with flour and water after discarding three-quarters of the mixture. (or using them to bake bread). Dan Lepard suggests to keep the refreshment slightly heavier on flour than water, as this slows the fermentation and stops the leaven rising and falling too quickly. It's a good idea to continue feeding and refreshing it for at least one more week before you start making bread with it.