- Other grains, like rice flour or cornstarch or corn
flour, can have varying effects. Rice flour and cornstarch
can be used to dilute the protein concentration of pure
wheat flour, giving the batter a lighter structure (you still
need at least bit of protein, or it won’t have any structure
at all). Corn flour has larger grains than wheat flour, which
add the crunch you get in a hush puppy or good corn dog.
The first order of business with any batter is to get the
consistency right. Too thick, and it comes out bready; too
thin, and it doesn’t offer enough protection. It’s also
essential to balance leavening power and gluten
development. Too little leavening, and you get a hard, tough
shell; too much, and your batter will overinflate and strip
itself off your food.
Rather than using straight-up flour for my batter, I use a
combo of flour and cornstarch, which reduces the amount of
gluten formed—the protein network that can cause a batter
to become leathery and tough. Gluten formation is also
increased with excessive stirring, so mixing the batter with a
whisk or a pair of chopsticks just until it barely comes
together is the way to go. A few spots of raw flour are
perfectly fine.
There are a couple reasons to use beer. First off, sugars
present in the beer will increase the brownability of the
batter. The bubbles are also essential—they create the tiny,
tiny pockets inside a good batter that add to our perception
of crunchiness; it’s really just a little boost for the baking
powder, which performs a similar function.
There’s another element in there that’s helping to keep