Is it possible? How quickly are we talking?
Your recipe calls for room-temperature ingredients, particularly butter and eggs. Oops! You forgot to set them out an hour before you needed them, now what? Well, you could just ignore the suggestion (I mean, after all, aren’t recipes just guidelines, right?). Or you could actually do this, so your bake turns out amazing even when cutting corners! Duh! I’ll take that option, please; butter and eggs to room temperature quickly!
Well, it just so happens that THIS is the least of your worries. Reality is, it’s not a worry at all!
But first, have you ever considered the importance of baking with ingredients at room temperature? Room temperature refers to anywhere between 68˚F-77˚F / 20˚C-25˚C. For a better temperature gauge with butter, if you can easily run a butter knife through a stick of butter, you got it! For eggs, if the yolk breaks easily, that’s it!
Shhh… I’m going to tell you a little secret about butter and eggs. The secret lies in the answer to these burning questions. Why does room temperature matter? AND How do we accomplish this feat quickly?
Answers to the burning questions…
Why do room-temperature butter and eggs matter?
- Batter and dough will take less time to bake because all ingredients are at the same temperature,
- Butter and egg yolks breakdown more easily when at room temperature thus making a smoother batter or dough,
- Room-temperature ingredients prevent fat from hardening which can result in a clumpy, lumpy, curdled batter or dough,
- Eggs at room temperature whip up to a much greater volume than when cold. Imagine a fluffier, fuller, lighter angel food cake or meringue! Ooh!
How do we QUICKLY soften butter to room temperature?
Regardless of the amount of butter (1 tbsp or a cup), cut the butter into small pieces (size of an onion dice). Place the pieces in an appropriately sized bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds, remove, mash, and mix the butter with a fork. Return butter to the microwave for an additional 5-10 second intervals while mashing and mixing in between until softened to desired consistency. Cutting and mashing up the butter allows for equal heat distribution.
How do we QUICKLY bring eggs to room temperature?
For whole eggs, place the whole egg(s) in the shell(s) in a bowl with warm tap water to cover for 10-15 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. The eggs will be ready by the time you need them.
For separated eggs, crack them cold straight from the fridge and separate the yolks from the whites into two separate bowls. Then, place those bowls in a bigger bowl or pan with warm water (faucet warm) for 10-15 minutes.
Voilà! Room temperature accomplished in hardly any time at all.
For a visual of these steps, watch my YouTube Video on Bringing Butter and Eggs to Room Temperature Quickly.
Interested in baking using room temperature ingredients? Check out these recipes.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please let me know. I would appreciate a like, a follow, or even a comment. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of tips, blog bakes, and dishes. Until next time!