Baking Tips
All tips tagged baking ✕
Consider making some extra holiday goodies and delivering to those who have to work on the holiday, such as police officers, firefighters, paramedics and hospital personnel.
To obtain a good crust when baking bread, put a pan of hot water in the oven.
Squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a lime into your apple pie filling. It will help keep the apples from browning as well as add a flavor kick.
Always start with fresh, high quality ingredients. You will taste a difference in your baked goods.
Use unsalted butter when you bake. Salt is added to butter to mask flavor and extend shelf life.
Using a pastry cutter, work cold butter into your dry ingredients until incorporated. Should resemble small peas.
Gently fold mix-ins like blueberries, chocolate chips, and nuts into dry mixture before adding wet ingredients.
Measure and premix wet ingredients like cream, buttermilk, oil, pumpkin, eggs, or vanilla before adding to dry ingredients.
Carefully fold wet ingredients into dry mixture. Do not over mix and activate glutens in the flour. This step makes or breaks a tender baked good.
Handle dough as little as possible when forming into scones, biscuits, or cookies. This will ensure they remain tender, not tough.
Bake cookies, scones, and biscuits on parchment paper or baking mat to keep from sticking to cookie sheet.
Cool baked goods completely before wrapping for storage. You can individually wrap scones in plastic wrap then seal in plastic container to freeze leftovers. Then warm in oven or microwave to serve.
Flavor cookie dough and baked goods with cardamom. This spice adds an exotic taste and smell.
Use cinnamon in brownies. Be careful because a little goes a long way.
Intensify chocolate with espresso. You can substitute water with espresso in cake and brownie mixes.
Roast nuts before adding them to any recipe to intensify flavor. Watch them carefully to prevent burning.
Combine flavor and texture combinations like sweet and salty, sweet and spicy, crunchy and smooth to activate more taste buds.
Place a sheet of wax paper between layers of cooled cookies before you store them.
Place a sheet of wax paper over dough before using a rolling pin.