Baking Tips

By : Ann Krause

Most people have a real basic idea about what they need when they set out to do baking at home, but most people don’t have the background to know what works well and what does not, in the baking tips and tricks that I am going to show you will make your baking experience much more interesting and your work easier.

Baking Tip #1

Using tin baking pans is what they used in the 40’s and 50’s and they worked well but they didn’t distribute the heat through the pan very well, by using a heavy gage aluminum baking pan the heat will be distributed through the pan a lot better giving you a much more evenly baked cake without any burn spot.

Baking Tip#2

Everyone tries to get a really smooth icing on their cake before decorating it but it just doesn’t want to smooth out, well here is the way you do it. After you get the icing on the cake as smooth as you can dip the icing spatula in hot water and wipe in a towel to take off the water and lightly smooth out the icing, the heat from the spatula will melt the shortening in the icing causing it to become smooth. You will need to repeat this as many times as necessary.

Baking Tip#3

Cake ruffle around the base of your cake will make it much more appealing and only takes a moment to apply it.

Baking Tip#4

To make a better box cake mix use 4 medium eggs, 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, 1 –1/4 cup cold water, 2 ounces pudding mix, this will give you a moister cake with a fluffier texture.

Baking Tip#5

When making cookies that you are going to roll out with your hands use an ice-cream scoop to dip them out and save yourself a great amount of time and they will also be the same size.

Baking Tip#6

Having cookies all the same size on a baking pan causes them all to bake more evenly and they will all come out of the oven looking great.

Baking Tip#7

When baking sugar cookies bake them on the two upper racks of your oven, this will cause them to bake more evenly because they won’t get a lot of bottom heat on some and not on others. You want even browning on all.

Baking Tip#8

When baking cookies rotate the pans at the half point of the baking time.

Baking Tip#9

Always use parchment on your baking pans when baking cookies, it makes a lot easier.

Baking Tip#10

When baking a cake don’t grease or flour your pan, just use parchment paper on the bottom of your pan and when the cake has been cooled cut around the sides of the pan with a sharp straight blade knife then dump the cake out onto the table and remove the parchment before assembling.

Ann Marie Krause has been making cookies for over 30 years, at persent I am retired, for over 23 years I owned a Gourmet Bakery called The Cheese Confectioner.You can visit my site at http://www.annsgoodies.com.

NOTE: You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the about the author info at the end).

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Bakers Tips

By : Cristie Will

Yeast Checking

To find out if your yeast is good, first dissolve 1 tablespoon of sugar or other sweetener in warm water with 2 cups of liquid and then add your yeast. Wait several minutes for it to dissolve and start working, developing tiny bubbles. If there are no bubbles then discard it and go through the process again. Since yeast and salt don’t get along, add it after finding out the yeast is good.

Measuring

Fluff up your flour before measuring since it always settles when stored. Now sprinkle flour into measuring cup and slide off excess with a knife blade. Taking this step will cause you to measure a true 4-ounce cup instead of getting a 5-ounce cup from being compacted.

Knead

Knead dough for about 5 minutes and let it rest to relax the dough. This helps the rest of your kneading easier.

Liquids

To add a different flavor and even make nutrition better, substitute water for juices or broth or when a recipe calls for milk try buttermilk.

Sugar and Sweeteners

It’s not necessary to have or add sugar in a recipe, but it does bring out the flavor. If you want to add sugar and need moisture try honey or molasses.

Oil

Unless you’re counting calories adding oil to bread is better because it will make your bread fresher longer.

Storing Flour

If you use your flour fairly fast, store it in a cool, dry place. If you don’t use your flour very fast then put it in a lock-type plastic bag and store it in your freezer.

Dry Ingredients

Substitute a little dried fruit, vegetables, cheese, nuts, grains, seeds or herbs and spices for some of the flour in your recipes. Just add it into the cup before you measure your flour. It will change it up and it is wonderful.

You can find many more tips and recipes at Cristie's Cookin. Submit your favorite recipe to win a free "Gotcha Covered" Apron. Check out those spices, Bling It, Ring It and Zing It. Cristie's novel "11.11.11" by TJ Stokes is a thriller you won't want to miss.

Cooking lessons for Cristie began at 8 years old with the best teacher in the world -- her Mom! Later, she cooked for the restaurant the family owned, and her love of the "trade" has grown ever since. Cristie's creative cooking has continued for over 40 years. Her creations can soon be on your kitchen table. Check out Cristie's books at http://www.cristiescookin.com and http://www.tjstokes.com

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