Castella — Japanese cotton biscuit

To prepare the Japanese cotton biscuit, we will need the following ingredients: chicken eggs, granulated sugar, wheat flour, milk, butter, salt and vanillin. All products are at room temperature.

Chicken eggs (6 pieces), carefully dry and separate the proteins from the yolks. We do this carefully so that not a drop of yolk does not fall into the proteins, otherwise the latter can be beaten poorly. I break the egg on the table, after which I pass the contents through my fingers (my hands, of course, clean and dry). The protein passes, and the yolk remains in the palm of your hand.

Pour 100 milliliters of milk into whipping dishes. Add 100 grams of butter. It must be melted in any convenient way and cool.

Mix the whisk and sift there the same 100 grams of wheat flour of the highest grade. For the aroma, you can add a pinch of vanillin (literally on the tip of a knife).

Again, mix everything to make a smooth and homogeneous mixture without lumps.

Then we put egg yolks — six at once.

We intervene them in a test base. Nothing needs to beat.

But egg whites (also 6 pieces) need to be beaten correctly. We pour them into a separate bowl, add a pinch of small grinding salt.

We begin to beat with a mixer at medium speeds until a light foam is formed. Then, gradually adding granulated sugar (100 grams), we increase the speed and beat the proteins to soft peaks. Mernga should be glossy, dense, well keep and not move. In this case, the beak (merenga at the end of the corolla) should remain mobile.

Using a blade for 2-3 gunshot, we intervene the meringue for the future biscuit. Movements — folding in one direction.

When the biscuit dough becomes homogeneous and airy, we stop mixing.

In advance, you need to prepare a baking dish (diameter — 18 centimeters). It can be both a detachable shape and a ring (my version). Of course, a strict form is also suitable, but it will be much more difficult to get a ready -made biscuit. We lay the bottom and walls of the dishes with siliconized parchment. We wrap with food foil so that water does not get inside. We install in a larger diameter form or directly in a deep baking sheet. We shift the biscuit dough.

Pour into a baking sheet (or the deep and wide dishes that you use) hot water. Boiling water — right from the kettle. There is so much water so that its height turns out about 3 centimeters. It will be a steam bath. We put the structure in a preheated oven and bake at 150 degrees for about 1 hour. I have an electric oven, lower and upper heating (without convection).

During the baking process, we do not open the oven so that the biscuit does not fall. We take out the finished baking, take it out of the steam bath and let it completely cool on the grate.

After that, remove the foil, remove the shape (ring) and parchment paper. The Japanese cotton Biscuit Castella is ready. In this form, it weighs about 650 grams.

Cut with portioned pieces and serve to tea. Or cut along 3-4 cakes, smear with almost any confectionery cream and get a delicious homemade cake. Prepare for health, friends, and pleasant to you appetite!