Science in the Kitchen: AB's Blueberry Buckle

So you're probably wondering why you can use AP flour in place of cake flour and why that would involve a longer baking time at a lower temperature. Well, let's break it down.

1. AP flour substituted for cake flour

As you can tell from your local megamart, there is more than one kind of flour, meaning that there are different functions for each of them. Cake flour for cake, bread flour for bread, and so on. Many of the differences are determined by the protein content of the flour. Bread flour has a lot of protein, which is why you can knead the hell out of it when making your dough. Cake flour, on the other hand, has very little protein and AP flour is somewhere in the middle. Cake flour will provide a much lighter product that won't brown as much (we'll get into that at some later date). So when using AP flour, it's going to provide a slightly "heavier" product with the capacity to brown quicker at higher temps, which leads to

2. Lower temperature from 375 to 350F

The more protein in the product, the easier to brown and if you have a high temperature, that browning could occur before the inner part of the buckle cooks completely. It's like nuking a burrito in the microwave. You know, where the outside is burnt to a crisp with the inside as cold as ice. Well, if the temperature is lowered, that browning will take a little bit longer, which leads to

3. Extending baking time from 25 to 45 minutes

To account for proper browning and a consistent product texture, the time will have to be extended since we lowered the temperature. But you still want it cooked all the way, so at the lower temp, you can cook it longer to get that nice browning on the outside with a fluffy texture on the inside that gives you an oh-so-delicious blueberry buckle.

Hope you enjoyed this little bit of science in the kitchen. Enjoy!