Baking like a pro needs time, but here are some hacks that will shelter your first baking attempt.
Does the aroma of a freshly baked batch of cookies lighten up your mood? You cannot stop but droll over a baking video on social media, and then each time you try to build up a storm in the kitchen trying to bake all by yourself but fail miserably? Maybe you have used all the ingredients in the recipe and took much care to execute it, but they turn up to be unshapely, burnt at the crust or overdone! The secret of best baking lies in patience, the right ingredients being used and, in the equipment, used.
Here are five tips to churn out better-baked goods.
Always preheat your oven
If you are baking a cake or cookies or a pizza, it is advisable always preheat your oven. If you are using a gas oven, preheat that too. A warm environment works best when you have used ingredients like yeast, baking soda and powder. Do not mess up with the temperature while preheating your oven and then for the final baking.
Sieving dry ingredients
Measurement of the ingredients is key to good baking. Making a cake or cookie involves two kinds of ingredients. Wet and dry. Always sieve the dry ingredients like the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder etc. This step will help you get rid of nasty flour lumps and help to mix the ingredients, especially if you are not using a stand-up mixer. Always mix all the dry ingredients first and then gently pour in the wet ingredients to get a smooth batter.
Cut and fold technique
Every time you bake a cake, remember, mixing ingredients vigorously can interfere with its baking process. Your cake may not rise if you have whisked the batter too hard. Use the cut and fold technique instead. While wet ingredients fall in the dry ones, gently cut and fold it in the dry ones. After you have placed the cake inside the tin that is greased with butter and lined with parchment paper, level the batter so that the air bubbles can vanish.
Don't open the oven door often
If you are baking for the first time, you will be jittery if you baked the cake too much or too little and often end up opening the door. This will compromise the warm environment; the flour, yeast, eggs need to swell and firm up as the temperature will fluctuate. Control the urge of frequent checks and once the oven beeps leave the cake as it is for some time in the oven before demolding it.
Follow recipe verbatim
If you are a beginner, follow the recipe along with the ingredients, their quantity, when to use each of them and in what conditions as it is. Substituting ingredients or customizing its amount without knowing the science can result in a baking fail.
A few failed attempts should not deter your spirit. Keep these tips in mind, turn up the heat and start baking!
