Baking with Vanilla Beans
When you work with a vanilla bean, you are extracting the soul of the orchid. Treat these pods as you would a spice, respecting the concentration of flavor held within those thousands of tiny black seeds.
Freshness is everything
A high-quality bean should be pliable, not brittle. If it snaps when bent, it is too old to produce the oils you need.
- paring knife
- cutting board
- small bowl
What goes in.
- 1whole vanilla bean
- 1/2 cupgranulated sugar
Friction with Sugar
Rub the scraped seeds into your granulated sugar using your thumb until the sugar turns light brown and clumped; this forces the oils to coat each grain and prevents the seeds from clumping in the batter.
The method.
Prepare the pod
Lay the bean flat on the board. Place the tip of a paring knife at the stem end and slice carefully down the length to the tip.
Extract the seeds
Open the pod like a book. Use the back of your knife to scrape down the inside, collecting all the sticky, dark seeds.
Incorporate
Mix the seeds immediately into your wet ingredients or sugar to prevent them from drying out or sticking to your fingers.
Save the husk
Place the empty pod into your sugar canister. Over a few days, the sugar will take on a deep scent of vanilla.
Other turns to take.
Vanilla Bean Paste
If you cannot find fresh beans, high-quality paste is the only acceptable alternative, as it contains the seeds, though it lacks the nuanced oil content of a fresh pod.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always slice the bean on a clean, dry board to ensure you don't lose the sticky seeds to moisture.
If the pod is stubborn, hold it firmly by the end, not the middle, while scraping.
Store extra beans in a glass jar in a cool, dark cupboard, never in the refrigerator, which ruins the texture.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use the pod after scraping it?
Yes. Never throw it away. Steep it in warm milk, put it in your sugar jar, or bury it in a container of salt to create vanilla salt.
How do I know if the bean is good quality?
It should be dark, oily, and flexible enough to wrap around your finger without cracking.
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