of a starchy base is that of a medium-thick
sauce, and produces a moist, fairly light
soufflé. Double the flour and you get a drier,
denser soufflé that is robust enough to be
unmolded, placed in a dish with a hot sauce,
and raised again in the oven or under the
broiler (Escoffier’s soufflé à la suissesse).
Triple the flour and you get a so-called
“pudding soufflé” — with the bready texture
you would expect from the name — that
won’t fall no matter what you do to it.
(Increase the flour 15-fold and you have a
sponge cake.)
Whipping and Folding the Egg Whites The
best consistency for egg whites in a soufflé
preparation is stiff yet moist, glossy peaks. A
stiff but dry foam is harder to mix evenly with
the base, while a softer foam is still coarse —
so the soufflé texture will be the same — and
may leave the mix so runny that it will
overflow before it sets.