Why the pattern disappears when baking mooncakes

Everyone eats mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival and emphasizes family reunion. In the past, people had to go out and buy mooncakes if they wanted to eat them, but now with the improvement of people’s dietary standards, the mooncakes sold can no longer meet everyone’s needs, and many people have begun to bake mooncakes themselves. But some people found that their mooncakes originally had patterns on them, but they disappeared after being baked. So, why do the patterns on baked mooncakes disappear?

1. Too much egg wash

The basic reason for unclear patterns on the mooncake surface is the incorrect egg liquid brushing process. Pay attention, this is basically the mistake most students make. In many recipes, mooncakes are brushed with egg liquid, which is made by mixing 3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg. The mooncakes should be brushed with egg liquid after they have been put into the oven for 5 to 8 minutes, taken out and the temperature drops below 65 degrees. If they are brushed with egg liquid before putting them into the oven, the surface of the mooncake will be blurred and it will look like a cake. When brushing with egg liquid, try to put a little egg liquid on the front of the brush. After dipping it in the egg liquid, rub the brush on the edge of the bowl. Then you only need to brush the egg liquid on the raised patterns on the surface of the mooncake. A thin layer is enough. Don't brush too much. If you brush too much egg liquid, it will be deposited between the lines. The lines will be filled with egg liquid, so how can it be clear?

2. The dough is not left to rest for long enough

Resting the dough means letting the kneaded dough rest for a period of time before further processing or cooking. Letting the dough rest can make the kneaded dough easier to process and it will not shrink easily during the next step of shaping. The resulting pastry will be more chewy, soft, and have a more delicate and smoother taste. If the dough is not left to rest for long enough, the gas will break through the membranes between the bubbles, causing them to be squeezed together to form bubbles of varying sizes, or even squeezed onto the surface of the dough to form ugly bags. As a result, it is no longer possible to form beautiful patterns on mooncakes. The best resting time for mooncake skin is 2.5 to 3 hours. The shortest time cannot be less than 2 hours, and the longest time cannot exceed 4 hours. Otherwise, not only will the pattern be unclear, but it will also easily leak.

3. The baking temperature is too low

If the mooncakes are baked at too low a temperature, the patterns will not be clear and it may also lead to diarrhea. The best temperature for five-nut mooncakes is around 220 degrees for the top fire and about 150-180 degrees for the bottom fire. The temperature of mooncakes with Rong filling should be slightly higher, with the surface temperature at about 250 degrees, while the bottom temperature remains unchanged.

4. The syrup is too thick

If the mooncake syrup is too thick, it will not be easy to demould, but it will cause unclear patterns on the surface of the mooncake and the mooncake skin will easily become hard and colored. The syrup is too thin, so the mooncakes are not easy to color when baked, and the crust shrinks and does not stretch.