Take the Time to Bake Right

Accuracy and patience are the keys to success in baking. Baking is a time-honored tradition with years upon years of trial and error testing as its foundation. Baking is an art and a science.

The art is in the creative ways we make baked goods so theyre fine tasting and visually appealing. The science is the fundamentals concerning ingredients and how they work together and the process of developing a recipe that produces that wonderful delectable you place on the table for you and your family, as well as friends, relatives, and guests.

Think of the process involved in baking. You wish to achieve a desired result from the recipe that sits before you. You cant take a haphazard approach to that recipe. The recipe lists what ingredients you require, and when you should enter those ingredients into your concoction. Therefore, when a recipe clearly states what to add to your mix, and when, follow it completely. This is the accuracy we mentioned in the first paragraph of this article.

Lets take a quick look at fats in a recipe for bread or any other baked good. Butter is a fat commonly called for in baking. Its important that your butter temperature be as the recipe calls for. Some recipes call for warm melted butter. Some call for cold butter used right out of your refrigerator. Read your recipe thoroughly and carefully and note the butter temperature the recipe calls for.

In baking, make use of the modern conveniences you have available to you. The refrigerator and freezer are important to baking success. With a freezer, you can whip up large quantities of dough and then thaw in batches, as you require them. This is great for always having dough on hand and ready to go for bread or pizza.

Moreover, you may have a bread-baking project before you where youre proofing multiple loaves. However, you only have so much oven space. You find some doughs rising too quickly and will over-proof before you can get them into the oven. Put this dough into the refrigerator to slow down the rising process.

Don’t assume you can use any kind of flour for your baking projects. Not all flours bake the same. There are various flours on the market for various purposes.

Examples include all-purpose flour, cake and pastry flour, self-rising flour, and stone-ground pastry or soft flour, among others. Again, use the type of flour your recipe calls for to produce desired results.

To make some of your baking projects less of a sticky situation, use parchment paper, a valued product when it comes to baking. Parchment paper is cellulose-based paper used in baking as a disposable non-stick surface. This paper is especially good to use on those no-stick pans and trays that now seem to stick because theyve worn out.

To understand baking better, understand how yeast works. This is part of the science of baking mentioned earlier in the article. Read about yeast as used in baking; experiment by trying yeast bread, yeast doughnut, and other yeast recipes. Dont be disillusioned if your first attempts with yeast dont go exactly as you planned. Just keep at it and youll catch on fine.

Baking success also comes from realizing that oven temperatures vary. Check the required temperature as stated in your recipe, and check your oven occasionally to see that the ovens holding the required temperature. Adjust accordingly so you bake your goods at the temperature stipulated.

As a beginner baker, dont be haphazard with the measuring of ingredients. Use a scale to get accurate measuring the most precise form of measurement is the weighing of certain ingredients. Dont guess at quantities use those measuring cups and measuring spoons. Accuracy increases the odds your recipe will turn out just as your recipe says it will.

Above all be a patient baker. Enjoy the process, from the first opening of the bag of flour, to the tasting of that delicious baked good before you.

Collect baking tips from knowledgeable sources to help you become a better baker. In addition, make sure you have the right ingredients before you before you begin any baking project. Furthermore, make sure you have the right tools at hand pots, pans, utensils, scales, measuring cups, and more.

Remember, your baking project has a better chance of succeeding and exceeding expectations when you use the right percentages of ingredients in the right order. Follow the steps laid out in your particular recipe. Follow good baking advice wherever you find it to ensure you make those wonderful baked goods everyones waiting for today.