Batter is aflour mixture with liquid and other ingredients such as sugar, salt, egg, milk andleavening used for cooking. Batters are a pourable consistency that cannot be kneaded.[1][2] Batter is most often used forcake,pancakes and as a coating for fried foods. It is also used for a variety ofbatter breads.
The wordbatter comes from the French wordbattre, which meansto beat,[3] as many batters require vigorous beating orwhisking in their preparation.
Many batters are made by combining dryflour with liquids such as water,milk, oreggs. Batters can also be made by soaking grains in water and grinding them wet. Often aleavening agent such asbaking powder is included toaerate and fluff up the batter as it cooks, or the mixture may be naturallyfermented for this purpose as well as to add flavour.Carbonated water or another carbonated liquid such asbeer may instead be used to aerate the batter in some recipes, such as forFanta cake. Other substitutes for water are wine, or flavored liquors likecuraçao,brandy, andmaraschino.
Theviscosity of batter may range from very "heavy" (adhering to an upturned spoon) to "thin" (similar tosingle cream, enough to pour or drop from a spoon and sometimes called "drop batter"). Heat is applied to the batter, usually byfrying,baking, orsteaming, to cook the ingredients and to "set" the batter into a solid form. Batters may be sweet orsavoury, often with either sugar or salt added (sometimes both). Many other flavourings such asherbs,spices,fruits, orvegetables may be added to the mixture.
Beer is a popular ingredient in batters used to coat foods before frying. One reason is that a basic batter can be made from merely flour, beer, and some salt. The purpose of using beer is so the bubbles in the beer will add body and lightness to the batter.[4] Depending on the type and quality of the beer, it may also add colour or some flavour to the batter. The practice of beer battering is popular in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Britain, Ireland, Germany, Iceland and Russia. Foods that are commonly beer-battered and fried include fish,chips, andonion rings.[5]
Batters are used in many cuisines under many names.Tempura in Japan,pakoda anddosa in India,galapong in thePhilippines,spoonbread in the US, and many other examples are all types of batters.[6] The ideal batter for fried foods is to be thick enough to adhere to the food, but not so thick as to become heavy.
Batters made with wheat flour thicken with every second that passes after mixing because of the development ofgluten. Strategies to reduce this effect include the use of ice water when mixing, alcohol (which does not mix with the flour to produce gluten), and making it at the last possible moment before use.[7]
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