My baking journey started in my Food and Nutrition class in secondary school. The journey hasn’t been without its challenges as I have had my fair share of baking disasters. However, my love for the art and the sheer exhilaration of creating something from scratch, something that was often a visual beauty and a tasteful delight, has kept me going.
Today, I’ll be sharing some baking tips to help ease beginners into the baking journey. So, pull up a seat, read and learn.
1. Invest in Measuring Equipment:
The measuring cups, scales, tablespoons, and teaspoons are there to make it easier for you to get the best out of recipes. There are different types available in the market. Invest in any pocket-friendly one. They will make your baking time easier and faster because you will not spend time trying to figure out if your measurements are accurate.
2. Weigh your Ingredients:
Buying the measuring instruments is one thing, using them is another. Now, here is the thing, excellent baking requires precise ratios. Thus, you must weigh your Ingredients and use just the amount stipulated in the recipe. Please, do not add jara. Measure liquid ingredients with a clear liquid measuring cup and dry ingredients with a measuring cup or spoons. For best results, fill the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off. After measurement, line your Ingredients in front of you. That way, you won’t start running helter-skelter, looking for one ingredient in the middle of your baking session.
3. Never Mix Hot Ingredients into a Batter or Dough:
This, my dear, is the gospel truth. A baking recipe may call for a warm ingredient but it’ll almost never call for a hot one. Do you know why? It’s because the hot liquid will cause dairy to curdle, active ingredients to die and eggs to scramble; one word for this is a disaster and you don’t want that to happen. So, my dear, take note of the fact that warm is not hot and hot is not warm. While you can place your finger in a lukewarm ingredient for five minutes and not risk burning, you can’t do the same with a hot ingredient. Thus, when a recipe calls for a warm ingredient, make sure it’s just that.4. Always Sift Dry Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients like baking powder, flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt should always be sifted. Sifting ensures that all the separate dry ingredients come together to give a uniform mixture before you even start mixing the batter or dough. It also allows your Ingredients to get lighter. This makes them easier to mix in the batter or dough.
5. Follow the Recipe Blindly:
Before embarking on this journey, tell the spirit of over sabi to leave you alone ‘make e no put you for trouble.’ Now, pay attention to this, most recipes are tested and trusted. Each ingredient and each step has a purpose in the recipe. Do not skip a step or neglect an ingredient. Acquaint yourself with the recipe and do as it says.6. Oil or Spray Your Measuring Cup before Using it to Measure Out Sticky Ingredients:
Some recipes call for sticky ingredients like honey and peanut butter. But getting them to leave the cup after the measurement is messy. The simple solution to this problem is to spray or oil the measuring cup before measurement. Doing this will make the sticky Ingredient slide out easily.
…to be continued in the next episode.
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