Whether you’re a seasoned baker, starting out, professionally trained or self-taught, you still experience baking fails. Baking is a science but it doesn’t need to be difficult. Over the years, I’ve made (and learned from) many mistakes but the key to anything is persistence and practice. Once you get some practice under your belt and get into a routine, things will run smoother and you’ll experience consistent results. Check out my 5 tips for better baking.
Invest in Some Basic Kitchen Tools
First things first – the proper tools are a necessity for every kind of artist so you’ll need to invest in some good kitchen tools for your baking needs. You don’t want to waste your time by washing the same bowl or same spatula because you only have one, so it’s a good idea to purchase a few of each or sets. The right tools will help you achieve successful results so invest in some good basics and essentials like sets of measuring spoons and cups, a set of sturdy mixing bowls, spoons and spatulas, a rolling pin and baking sheets and pans. I have a list of some of my favourite essentials that I can’t live without in another blog post which you can check out here: https://sweetiecakebakeshop.com/6-bakers-essentials-i-cant-live-without/
Ensure Your Baking Ingredients are Fresh
When is comes to better baking, fresh ingredients are key. Ingredients play an important part in your end product, so make sure to check best before dates or look up an ingredient’s shelf life for freshness. For example, old yeast or stale baking powder will not give you proper rise. This can cause cookies to come out flat or spread or dough to not proof so make sure your ingredients are fresh and not past their shelf-life. Click below for a handy chart which outlines the shelf life of basic pantry ingredients. https://www.redpathsugar.com/shelf-life-baking-ingredients
Prepping Your Ingredients in Advance
The French call this ‘mise en place’. Mise en Place is a culinary term referring to having your ingredients prepped and organized before you begin to cook. Measuring out ingredients and having them in order makes following along with your recipe a breeze. We’ve all had a moment where we forgot something or added it twice because we weren’t prepared or because we lost our place in a recipe (guilty!!). Another good reason to get into the habit of prepping your ingredients in advance is because some recipes require certain ingredients to be room temperature like butter or eggs for example. Having ingredients like this pre-measured and sitting at room temp before you start will ensure that your baked goods incorporate and bake evenly, and turn out perfectly. Prepping your ingredients in advance also takes the stress out of following along. This keeps your workspace cleaner and more organized so you can focus on the process of each step.
Weigh Your Ingredients
You might be wondering why I’m including this point as one of my 5 tips to better baking, but consider a kitchen scale part of those quality kitchen tools we spoke about above. The most accurate way to measure out ingredients is to weigh your ingredients. Even the slightest difference in a measurement can affect the end product in a recipe. After all, baking is a science so using a scale ensures all ingredients are measured precisely which yields better results. You can find kitchen scales at every price point from low to high. Look for a moderately priced scale that’s sturdy and durable so it lasts you more than just a few years in the kitchen.
Read Through Your Recipe More Than Once
I know this last tid-bit seems a bit obvious but it’s one that we’re all guilty of not doing. How many times have you found a recipe you wanted to try or needed last minute and just dove right in spontaneously not reading the ingredients or the process at all?….my hand is up! I’ve done it too lol! Often times we quickly skim over things and information gets missed. The first time you read through your recipe you can make sure you have all the ingredients required. Then read it a second time so you fully understand the directions and process. Nothing is worse than getting to the main part of a recipe and you just don’t understand what to do. Reading through your recipe more than once before you begin allows you to research anything that you aren’t sure about so when it’s time to actually make the recipe, it’ll be smooth sailing!
Bonus Baking Tip – Have Fun!
This is the not-so-secret secret ingredient to baking……Just have fun! Baking should be fun so make it playful! If something doesn’t turn out the first time or gets a bit messy it’s ok. Make a mess, have fun, try again and again and learn as you go. I hope you give these 5 tips to better baking a try the next time you bake up a little something and let me know if they helped you and how your recipe turned out!