Hello again!
Thank you for all the comments on my last post.
I followed some of the most common advice this time.
I used fresh (from shell, not carton) egg whites.
I did a 1:1:1:1 ratio.
I used granualted sugar, instead of superfine
(the advice was to not make any substitutions, so no substitutions this time)
I even used a thermometer in the meringue lol (160-165F)
I wanted to use only one egg for this, because I had doubts, so I did 36g for everything. That's the only recipe change. Is that okay?
But still, the failure… first image is after it had "settled" for a while.
Again, confused because Claire's recipe was fine, I just had little hollows. So I wanted to try a swiss method.
Is it normal to follow Claire's ratio but just do the meringue swiss style? Or would that be a horrible mistake?
Again calling to those in dry climates, just in case, what recipe do you like? I'm a mile high, middle of Canada for reference. Humidity's probably at like 20% in my house right now, if that.
Again, thank you guys, you gave lots of advice <3 I learned a lot even if I still have a lot of work to do.
by Ok_Woodpecker_7158
11 Comments
The high altitude will 100% affect your baking. I’ve never tried baking macarons in high altitude places but im sure that is the reason why your macaronage is not behaving like most videos u might watch of other people making macarons.
I think the low humidity should be manageable but the altitude will mess with the stability of the meringue and the overall baking time and temperature needed once u get the macaronage to a good place. I think it will take more experimenting to figure out what works for u but ty for posting another attempt and more info
I predominantly use Pies and Tacos recipe. I will venture out with others and come back to it because I have best results. When I am heating the granulated sugar and egg whites, I stop at or before 120 degrees (when it is no longer grainy to the touch). Also, it’s not a 1111 recipe. It’s 100 gr sugar/egg whites and 105 powder sugar/almond flour. I’m in a humid altitude, not sure if it impacts timing, but getting to stiff peaks is my most time consuming step. Maybe 29 mins. Doing the macronage process is just a few minutes.
All of this said, it took me at least 10 batches/attemots before I ever had feet, no wrinkles, no cracks.
Macronage should take about five minutes. Anything more than 10 and somethings wrong. Also, it’s not quite a 1:1 ratio for everything. There’s a 5% difference between the egg whites and almond flour, for example.
“Is it normal to follow Claire’s ratio but just do the meringue swiss style? Or would that be a horrible mistake?”
Don’t try to experiment without getting a recipe down first.
I’m guessing you have a scale but the Pies and Taco recipe is not 1:1:1
Adjusted Ingredients (for 36g Egg Whites)
• Egg Whites: 36g
• Granulated Sugar: 36g
• Powdered Sugar: 38g
• Almond Flour: 38g
and you cannot just substitute French method ingredients 1:1 with Swiss method.
Claire Saffitz’s Adjusted Macaron Recipe (36g Batch)
This version is based on her French method ratios.
Ingredients:
• Egg Whites: 36g (approx. 1 large egg white)
• Granulated Sugar: 32g
• Almond Flour: 45g
• Powdered Sugar: 45g
• Salt: A tiny pinch
• Cream of Tartar: A tiny pinch
They are completely different.
Macronaging usually only takes 5-8 minutes. I’ve done French, Swiss, and Italian methods. They all usually take about the same amount of time.
Did you have the same problem when you tried the French method or did it go fine? How long were you macronaging for French method?
If you didn’t have problem with French method, then you’re messing up somewhere in the meringue.
My biggest advice, try Italian method. It’s easy to do if you have a stand mixer and they are really hard to mess up. It’s much more forgiving than French or Swiss method.
p.s. I used Google Gemini to give me the correct ratios. That’s something AI is actually really good for
heres what i learned about working with meringues and swiss method. if you over cook the egg whites with the sugar , when you beat it to stiff peaks, the more you macaronage the stiffer the batter will get not the looser it will be. i come to find out you dont really need to heat the eggs up to a certain temp. you only need to heat it while stirring until when you stick your finger in the bottom of bowl you feel no more sugar grit and that all the sugar is dissolvei.
If you’re not married to the Swiss method, this French method macaron recipe (which I got from a comment from u/Ivylicious1320 ) has worked for me near sea level AND in Colorado at significant elevation.
75g almond flour, 75g powdered sugar, 66g egg whites, 58g granulated white sugar
I whip the eggs, slowly add the sugar, add the premixed dry ingredients in 2 rounds, usually takes about 5 minutes of macronage. Let dry for 15-30min then I bake at 315 for 13-16 min (I’ll wiggle a shell in the oven and when they don’t move they’re good).
My macronoge takes 1 minute.
I usually use the Italian meringue and I’ve never used the Swiss method so forgive me for asking a dumb question.
In the Italian method, I have to reserve half of my total egg whites for adding directly to my dry ingredients. Then I can add meringue in portions for macaronage. The one time I messed up my macaronage and ended up with your issue was because I was dumb and didn’t reserve half my egg whites for the direct addition to the dry ingredients.
Does the Swiss method utilize the same process? Did you by chance not add half your egg whites to your dry ingredients?
Amongst the other comments correctly pointing out that you shouldn’t be mixing methods etc, I say this all the time but the only real problem I’ve encountered is when I use almond flour that’s too oily. I see that your bowl has a lot do residue on the sides and that’s what mine looks like if I try to get frisky and use a different brand almond flour. Likely isn’t your only issue but this is one that haunts me if I don’t stick to my normal brand.
Hello. Fellow high elevation low humidity baker here (Colorado, 5500’). For macarons I do a Swiss meringue, always have, but I stop before super stiff peaks occur. My meringue curls just a bit at the very top of the peaks. Takes about 6 minutes at medium high speed with my stand mixer. Never have issues with macronage. Other than slight hollows they turn out. Recipe 125g each almond flour and powdered sugar, 105g egg whites, 88-90g granulated sugar.
Age your whites