Baking: Tips & Tricks

Hello you all! Today we decided to share a few baking tips and tricks since we all seem to come in close contact with food at some time or another! Baking is fun but it is oh so disappointing when we don’t have the ingredients, or it flops. Mistakes are part of life but we can learn from them and turn them into growing experiences. Here are some random things we have learned.

• This is a simple one but handy to know. 3 tsp. = 1 TB. 4 TB. = 1/4 c.
• Something that I do all the time in bread making is called the ‘windowpane test’. It tells you if the dough has been kneaded enough. Take a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers. If it can stretch enough to see light through it, it has been kneaded enough, but if it can’t stretch that much without breaking, knead a little longer and then try again.
• Recipe calls for sour milk or butter milk = 1 c. milk + 1 TB. vinegar. Let sit 5 minutes and there you go!
• Does your pie crust shrink substantially when you prebake it? Press a piece of tin foil against the crust in the pan and bake for about three quarters of the time then carefully pull out and finish baking. This has really helped me!
• Before beating egg whites or something delicate, wipe out bowl with a little vinegar. It makes sure that there is no grease that would hinder the egg whites from beating.
• When making chocolate chip cookies, refrigerate the dough for half an hour before baking. This prevents them from spreading too much in the oven. Also if you add 1/4 c. maple syrup to the dough it adds great flavor!
• Baked goods lose their fresh favor so quickly but freezing soon after baking ,unless you plan to eat it the next day, preserves that much longer. Like for cinnamon rolls, I just barely bake until done and then freeze them un-iced. Then whenever you want fresh tasting cinnamon rolls real quick, pull out a pan and pop in the oven at about 300 degrees Fahrenheit until soft and warm. Ice with favorite frosting and enjoy! One of my favorite make ahead pastries.
• There is 1/3 c. of jello in a 3 oz. box.
• When a recipe calls for a packet of yeast = 2 1/4 tsp. of yeast
• If you are going to whip cream put your bowl and whipping attachments into the freezer. When they are good and cold whip up the cream and because of the cold it will whip up faster and better.
• This is something that I am still trying to do better at. Measure dry ingredients , but especially flour, by spooning in cup and then leveling of with butter knife or something. If you scoop the cup in, it packs a lot more then is called for which can throw off your recipe.
• And whatever you make, be sure to add the flavor a heart of love adds!

Compiled by Daisy