Frequently Asked Questions About Firenza Irresistable Baking Mixes

General Questions

• What is the shelf life of your mixes?
• Where do I find the expiration date?
• Why do you add beer to the Focaccia mix?
• Can I use any of your mixes in my bread machine?
• What if I’m using a glass pan? Are there any changes I need to make during baking?
• Do I need to make any changes for high-altitude baking?
• When I baked my bread, the top looked lopsided? Why?

Brownie Mix Questions

• When I bake the Triple Chocolate Brownie mix, and put a toothpick in to test whether they are done, the toothpick comes out covered with chocolate. Are they done?
• What are the 3 chocolates in the Firenza Triple Chocolate Brownie?

Focaccias & Traditional Beer Bread Mix

• I don’t have a pizza pan, how do I make the Focaccia on a baking sheet?
• Can I make the focaccia in a regular loaf pan?
• Can I make a pizza crust from the traditional beer bread mix?

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General Questions

What is the shelf life of your mixes?

The shelf life from the date of production is approximately 16 months.

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Where do I find the expiration date?

The expiration date is stamped on the back of the box in black ink about a third of the way down from the top. It is in a 4 digit form of MMYY. (Example: 0507 = May of 2007.)

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Why do you add beer to the Focaccia mixes?

Beer adds a wonderful yeasty flavor to the mixes. Also, the carbonation in the beer adds a very slight amount of ‘lift" to the bread. Because the alcohol is eliminated during the baking process, the breads are nonalcoholic.

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Can I use any of your mixes in my bread machine?

The Firenza Sun-Dried Tomato & Cheese Focaccia, the Garlic & Cheese Focaccia, and the Traditional Beer Bread can be made in a bread machine. The instructions are on the back of each box. You will need to supply your own yeast.

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What if I’m using a glass pan? Are there any changes I need to make during baking?

A glass pan conducts heat differently than a metal pan. So when baking with glass you should increase the temperature in your oven about 25˚. Test your oven temperature with an oven thermometer and bake for the length of time shown on the box.

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Do I need to make any changes for high-altitude baking?

Unless otherwise noted on the Firenza box, there are no changes for high-altitude baking. All Firenza mixes have been tested at high-altitude.

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When I baked my bread, the top looked lopsided? Why?

It was probably caused by uneven heating in your oven. Ovens can have "hot spots" which can cause baked goods to bake unevenly. Place your loaf pan in the center of your oven on the center rack for best results. You may also want to rotate the pan halfway through baking to "even out" the effect of the hot spot.

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Brownie Mix Questions

When I bake the Triple Chocolate Brownies, and put a toothpick in to test whether they are done, the toothpick comes out covered with chocolate. Are they done?

Probably. If your oven was set at the correct temperature, your brownies should be done after 32-36 minutes. The toothpick probably hit a melted chocolate chip and part of the chip stuck to the toothpick. Because we use so many chocolate chips in our mix, it’s easy for this to happen.

Remember: When using a glass pan increase the baking temperature by 25 degrees.

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What are the 3 chocolates in the Firenza Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix?

We use Ghirardelli chocolate cocoa, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and sweet ground chocolate.

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Focaccias & Traditional Beer Bread Mixes

I don’t have a pizza pan, how do I make the Focaccia on a baking sheet?

You may use a baking sheet with sides (lip) or no sides. The focaccia dough is very stiff and sticky and will maintain the shape that you mold it into.

Spray the baking sheet with your favorite cooking spray or line the sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Using wet hands, spread the dough into the desired shape. The dough should be about ½" thick. There is enough dough in one batch to fill a 12" round deep-dish pizza pan, or cover a 9" x 12" area on a baking sheet. (You may adjust the shape.)

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Can I make the focaccia in a regular loaf pan?

Yes, when using a 9" x 5" loaf pan, bake at 350˚ for about 50 – 55 minutes. The instructions are on the back of the Firenza box.

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Can I make a pizza crust from the traditional beer bread?

Yes, and you can make a pizza-style crust with the Firenza Sun-Dried Tomato & Cheese Focaccia and the Firenza Garlic & Cheese Focaccia mixes as well.

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