Pleasant Pudding

Pudding with Cornstarch

Many recipes call for a thickening agent. In our pudding recipes we use and compare cornstarch and flour. Starch is composed of glucose monomers held together by Glycosidic bonds from the Carbohydrate family. Cornstarch is pure starch and acts as a thickener by swelling with water and taking on the flavor of the recipe. The pudding first takes on a frothy look and is a yellow color. While the milk if coming to a boil, keep stirring to prevent the milk from burning. The milk turns a creamy white and becomes a thicker liquid. Vitamin D milk to used to be the source of fats for the pudding. Milk boils at a high temperature, but also burns quickly. The boiling milk is added to the cornstarch mixture and again keep stirring to prevent the egg from scrambling and heating the cornstarch too quickly and gelating the surface. This mixture is returned to the pan and continues to boil until the mixture thickens and is a creamy white. Now with a strainer, the pudding is sieved through to create a smooth consistency. While still warm take butter from the previous emulsion experiment and add it to the pudding to creating a creamier texture. The vanilla is added at the end which gives the pudding the vanilla flavoring and brown color. Do not add too much vanilla for a little goes a long way. In the future use less vanilla so it does not over power the pudding and add more sugar to increase the sweetness. Beating the eggs could also increase the pudding's fluffiness. The pudding tastes creamy and of vanilla. And if let to sit, a "skin" forms over the top of the pudding that is attributed to the protein Gluten.  

Pudding with "skin"

Pudding with Flour. Not as thick.

Flour on the other hand contains a small amount of starch and takes more flour to reach the same thickness. Flour recipes also end up with an opaque appearance. And do not need to be heated as long as the cornstarch. The pudding recipe follows the above recipe and is similar except for the step of boiling the milk and egg mixture together. Once boiling, the mixture is not as thick and does not have a creamy texture. In the end, this pudding was not as creamy or thick as the first recipe and almost had a gritty texture. Only 2 tablespoons of Butter were added which can cause the pudding to not be as creamy. Again, add less Vanilla to prevent the vanilla from overpower the pudding.

Picture from www.wikipedia.com