There are loads of rules in baking, as it’s more of a science than cooking, but if you can embrace them you will be rewarded with delicious consistently fabulous results!
And remember, you’re learning all the time. If something doesn’t go to plan, the chances are you’ve learned something useful that will help you next time you bake. Don’t let a mishap put you off, try again and you’ll be rewarded.
I have been baking for decades but I still make mistakes. I forgot to add baking powder to my muffins so they didn’t rise. Soggy, inedible muffins that had to go in the bin. I took my eye off a saucepan of caramel and it boiled over all over the hob – that’s a heck of a clean up! I dropped a tray of brownies getting them out of the oven so I had to bake them again. Oh well – it’s all frustrating but it doesn’t matter, just shrug it off and carry on.
These are ten of my favourite tips for better baking – and cleaning up!
1. Think ahead
Read your recipe all the way through, line your tins with baking parchment, weigh & measure out all your ingredients, pre heat your oven; all before you start your recipe.
It’s worth investing in a colourful set of nesting bowls for preparing your ingredients and line them up on the worktop in the order you add the contents to the recipe. That way you quickly see if you’ve missed a step.
If like me you have loads of GU ramekins in your kitchen, those are brilliant when you’re measuring out smaller quantities of ingredients or for preparing your eggs. Break an egg into each ramekin, then use the transparency to check for any little shell pieces. This method is perfect for adding eggs one at a time to your recipe too.
2. Make sure your ingredients are in date
This is especially important with yeast, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, self raising flour & spices. Buy these in small containers or sachets so you use them up while they’re still in date. You can buy these everywhere and in my experience the cheap ones just as good quality as the more expensive brands.
3. Follow the recipe
Personally I always follow a recipe to the letter the first time I make it. The right sized tin, all the correct ingredients, follow each stage as it’s written.
Then I can assess fairly how well it’s worked for me & how it’s lived up to my expectations. Next time I can tweak the recipe to my own requirements.
We all have different preferences, so make the recipe your own the second time.
When a recipe doesn’t turn out as expected, it’s often because the wrong sized tin has been used, or an ambitious substitution has been made!
4. Once confident – get creative!
It’s good to switch up a recipe to suit you, but tweaks should be made within certain parameters. For example – I don’t like mixed peel so I can either leave it out of a recipe altogether, or switch it for another dried fruit or some nuts instead.
I wouldn’t switch mixed peel for grated carrot for example, as that’s going to release additional moisture into the cake & make it too wet & impact the baking time. Carrot is lovely in a cake, but adding too much moisture to a recipe will produce a soggy result that could burn on the outside before the middle has baked through, resulting in disappointment.
5. Keep a pencil in your kitchen
I use mine to add notes to my recipe books, record what worked well and what didn’t work so well. If a bake takes longer to cook than the recipe states, write it down so you know for next time. I also scribble on my kitchen cupboard doors if I want to make notes as I go – it cleans off easily but do check before you scribble on yours!
Use your pencil to draw a circle around the base of your cake tin on your baking parchment paper so you can cut the right sized piece to line the tin. Use it to draw a circle on your baking parchment so you can spread your meringue to the right size for your pavlova. Always turn the paper over once you’ve marked it though, so the pencil marks do not come into contact with your food.
6. Weigh & measure everything carefully
When I’m pouring my batch of brownies into baking tins, I weigh each tin full to ensure all the tins of brownie batter are the same weight. That way they bake evenly and everyone gets the same sized brownie.
If I’m making a sponge cake with 2 or more layers, I weigh the cake mixture into each tin and then level the mixture in each tin with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. This way ensures all the layers are the same size and will cook through in the same time.
Likewise, if I’m rolling cookie dough into balls for baking, I will weigh the dough then divide it by the number of cookies I’m making, then weigh out each piece of dough to make sure they’re all evenly sized. While it might sound like an unnecessary faff, it only takes a couple of minutes and it’s a small effort that will give you superior, consistent outcomes. Once you’ve done this a handful of times it becomes second nature and your results will show that it’s worth it.
7. Teaspoons, Tablespoons, Dessertspoons
Accuracy is all important in baking, especially when you’re measuring raising agents like bicarbonate of soda or baking powder.
I always use a set of dedicated measuring spoons when baking, rather than a spoon from the cutlery drawer. If a recipe asks for a teaspoon of baking powder, use the correct measuring spoon & level the spoonful for accuracy. Too much raising agent can make your cake rise too quickly, then sink in the middle. It can also leave an aftertaste if overused.
However, when cooking rather than baking, for example when I’m making a curry on the hob I don’t use my special measuring spoons. I find you need to use a little more of everything when cooking, generally speaking. Especially using herbs & spices, I tend to add them with wild abandon. Take it slowly though and taste it as you go as you can always add an extra spoonful of cumin or another handful of chopped coriander but once you’ve added it you can’t easily tone it down and you can’t take it back out.
8. Get the most out of your scales
If you’re making flapjacks, sticky toffee pudding or gingerbread for example, put your saucepan on your scales and zero it, then weigh your butter, sugar and syrup straight into the saucepan. I find this much easier and cleaner than trying to measure out the syrup and then transfer it to the saucepan. Most little platform scales weigh up to 5 kilograms, so they can take the weight of a saucepan easily.
9. Use a kitchen timer
Mine has three timers in one so I can set three different times. Perfect if you’re not sure how long your bake will take, for example when I bake my brownies I set my timers for 40 minutes, 45 minutes and 1 hour. Brownies with peanut butter and salted caramel take much longer to cook than Terry’s Chocolate Orange ones. This way I can bake different varieties all in one go and take them out of the oven as each timer goes off.
Also, I find when my oven is full everything takes much longer to cook than if there’s only one or two things in there. Get to know your oven as they all tend to develop hot spots where things will cook faster than expected. You might need to move things around to ensure they bake evenly.
I always use an actual timer in my kitchen and while of course you can use your phone timer, it’s all too easy to get distracted by your phone & turn off your timer but forget to go and check the oven or leave your phone in a different room so you don’t hear the timer when it goes off.
10. Clean up time!
Washing up liquid is miraculous for getting food stains out of clothing. It’s especially good at breaking down greasy or tomato stains. Splashed some oil on your top? Rub some washing up liquid into the stain then either sponge it off with some warm water or put the top into the washing machine for a wash with the washing up liquid still on it. Sometimes it needs a second go, but I find it a marvel.
That’s it for now – hopefully some of these will be as useful to you in your kitchen as they are in mine.
Happy baking!
Abi – The Brownie Lady