Steps to Prepare HOMEMADE LADYFINGERS

• Take three eggs at room temperature and, in two fairly large bowls, separate the yolks from the whites.

  While doing this, weigh both the yolks and the whites, so you can adjust the quantities based on the weight in grams I’ve provided.

  Note: Given that this recipe requires very few ingredients and very few simple steps, it’s absolutely necessary to respect the exact measurements I’ve provided and the advice I’ll give during the procedure description.

• Take the electric whisks, set them to maximum speed and beat the yolks together with part of the sugar, about 60 g.

  You should beat for about five minutes, until the eggs and sugar have increased in volume and have a light color and a ‘writing’ consistency.

  To perfectly understand the consistency you need to achieve, I recommend checking out the VIDEO you can find earlier on this page.

• Set the bowl with the beaten yolks aside for a moment and take the one with the egg whites. Beat the latter until stiff and, when they are almost fully beaten, gradually add the remaining sugar (about 35 g), while continuing to beat with the electric whisks at maximum power.

  You will get a dense but still beautifully foamy meringue (egg whites and sugar beaten together), ideal for making ladyfingers; if you add the sugar just as you start beating the egg whites, you would get a glossier, more compact meringue, less suitable for this recipe.

• At this point, you just need to gently incorporate the dry ingredients (flour and potato starch) and the beaten egg whites into the beaten yolks.

  Before performing this operation, sift the flour and potato starch twice over a sheet of parchment paper; this step will also help make the ladyfingers soft and light, as this way you incorporate air into the flour.

• To optimally incorporate the dry ingredients and egg whites, you’ll need a marisa (silicone spatula) otherwise you risk compromising the final result due to possible flour lumps that might easily remain in the batter.

  Incorporate, alternating them, first a part of the meringue, then a part of the dry ingredients, making gentle and circular movements, from bottom to top, to deflate the batter as little as possible.

  You should incorporate everything in about 7-8 passes.

• Once you have a foamy and homogeneous mixture, without lumps of flour, you can proceed to shape your homemade ladyfingers: place the batter into a piping bag, using the immersion blender jug as a support (if you have it).

  Cut the tip of the piping bag to form a hole of about 0.6 inches in diameter, cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and form your ladyfingers, taking care to try to make them all the same length (about 2.4-2.8 inches) so the baking will be optimal.

• As the final step, dust your ladyfingers with powdered sugar mixed with cornstarch then bake immediately; the oven should be in static mode and already at a full temperature of 392°F.

  Bake them for 8 minutes, on the middle-lower rack of the oven, halfway through which you should wedge a wooden spoon between the door and the oven structure, so that the baking more closely resembles that of more professional ovens.

• Every oven is completely different from the other so, especially in cases like this of such short baking times, it’s absolutely necessary to check the baking often: if they seem to darken on the surface too quickly, slightly lower the temperature, and if you see them golden 1-2 minutes before the time I’ve indicated, you can take them out.

• And here are your HOMEMADE LADYFINGERS. Let them cool before removing them from the parchment paper, otherwise, they may break.