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Learn how to make Swiss meringue, the most stable of all meringues, forth with a picayune food science about how Swiss meringue is different than the other meringue preparations. This post is office of my Baking Fundamentals series where I teach basic baking techniques.

Meringue holding its shape off a whisk

Hello there! It is currently extremely early on in the morning and I am very foggy eyed, but I am here and excited because today I am sharing another blistering fundamentals post with you! Today I am teaching y'all about Swiss Meringue, how to make it, and a footling science behind what makes it different than the other meringue preparations.

Last week, nosotros talked well-nigh the French Meringue grooming. French Meringue is awesome considering it requires very few steps, very little equipment, and very piddling time or technique to make. Substantially egg whites are whipped, sugar is gradually added and whipped into it halfway through, and the mixture is whipped further until strong peaks are formed.

While this is all fine and adept and I make French Meringue a lot for certain things (like that angel food cake), there are times when it is just non stable plenty and a more stable meringue is needed.

Enter, Swiss Meringue! Swiss Meringue is the most stable of all meringues. It is likewise more dense and glossier, almost marshmallow like. Swiss meringue pipes similar a dream and holds its shape well without weeping for a much longer fourth dimension than french meringue. For this reason, it is great to use equally a pie topping especially if you aren't serving it immediately. The grooming of Swiss meringue also makes it safer to consume if you aren't baking it considering yous oestrus the mixture during the preparation.

Let'southward walk through the steps, shall we?

How to Make Swiss Meringue

Step 1- Whisk together the egg whites and sugar.In a very clean bowl, costless from all oil/grease, whisk together the carbohydrate and egg whites. No need to use superfine saccharide here, like we did with French meringue, because the sugar is going to get completely dissolved during the process anyway.

[feature_headline type="left" level="h4″ looks_like="h5″ icon="flask"] Baking Scientific discipline Fun Fact![/feature_headline]

The egg whites in meringue serve ii main purposes. They are the liquid in which the sugar is able to dissolve in and they too serve every bit the protein structure for creating the web that will trap the air bubbles to create the book in meringue.

The sugar serves the purpose of stabilizing the protein web that traps the air (as well as sweetening the mixture). The before in the process the sugar is added, the more than stable the meringue. This is why Swiss meringue is the most stable.

Sugar and egg whites whisked in a bowl

Step 2- Heat the mixture over a double boiler.A double boiler is essentially a pot of simmering h2o that your bowl can sit on top of. Y'all don't want the bottom of the bowl to be touching the water. Sit down your bowl over the pan and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is heated to 160F. If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, whisk until the mixture turns opaque and the saccharide has completely dissolved. It should feel completely smoothen between your fingers. This should take near 5-7 minutes. I practise this right in my mixing bowl so that I don't take to dingy some other basin when we move to the adjacent footstep.

[feature_headline type="left" level="h4″ looks_like="h5″ icon="flask"] Baking Science Fun Fact![/feature_headline]

Plain egg whites brainstorm to thicken and coagulate starting at 145F. But the carbohydrate acts on the proteins in the egg whites and will slow down the coagulation process and so that the whites volition remain liquid during this heating phase.

A double boiler setup with bowl on top with the egg whites and sugar

Pace 3- Whip the mixture on loftier to absurd it down.With the whip attachment, whip the eggs on loftier. This will cool the mixture downward and brainstorm creating a foam. If you have made french meringue earlier, this is going to take much longer to thicken than that preparation does. In about 3 minutes it will starting time to turn white and foamy.

Stride 4- Go along whipping to stiff peaks.This is more of a continuation of footstep 3 as you lot practice not need to do anything other than proceed you mixer working. But I seperate it out because the first few minutes the mixture is cooling downward and subsequently it is cool enough so it will start working toward that stiff top stage. The mixture will turn very glossy, thick, and almost marshmallow like.

After most half dozen-eight minutes the mixture will hold stiff peaks. It is possible to overmix this meringue just like any of the others, but it isn't as like shooting fish in a barrel to practice here as it is with french meringue. It is just more stable all effectually.

Meringue being whipped in mixer

At present your meringue is fix to use for whatever your little heart desires. Superlative a pie with it and give information technology a quick torch or a wink nether the broiler. Or use information technology to brand a swiss meringue buttercream which is what I used this for! I have the cake and buttercream recipe coming up for you and then stay tuned!

Toasted Swiss Meringue dollop

But here is a little teaser to go yous in the mood!

A slice of Chocolate Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1 year ago: Eclairs with Espresso Glaze and Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Two years ago: Apple Streusel Muffins

Three years ago: Like shooting fish in a barrel Breakfast Pastries for Valentine'due south Day

Ingredients

  • 6 big egg whites
  • one 1/2 cups granulated saccharide

Instructions

  1. Ready a double boiler (a pot filled with water not all the way to the height) and bring the h2o to a simmer.
  2. In a very clean heatproof basin (I use the basin of my stand up mixer) whisk together the egg whites and the saccharide.
  3. Gear up the bowl over the double boiler, making certain the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl, and whisk while the mixture heats to 160F. You lot tin check with a kitchen thermometer, or if you do not have one the mixture volition get very liquid as the sugar melts and it should feel very smooth between your fingers. This volition have almost 5-7 minutes.
  4. Transfer the mixture to your stand mixer (or yous can do information technology with a hand mixer but it will take much longer), whip at loftier speed with your whisk attachment to cool the mixture downwards.
  5. Continue whipping at high speed until strong peaks are reached. The mixture volition become very thick, glossy, and about marshmallow like. This volition take most 6-viii minutes of whipping.