Baking Tips for Beginners
These baking tips for beginners will help you bake with confidence. Today I’m sharing advice that will provide a good foundation for baking. Use these tips to sharpen your skills and elevate your desserts.
Baking Tips You Need to Know About
Once you start practicing these baking tips for beginners, you’ll get a better understanding of the process. Most importantly, baking will be less intimidating! Learning these concepts yields better results.
Baking should make you feel at home. There may be some mistakes that are holding you back. Learn how to improve your techniques with the proper preparation and best practices! Most baking issues involve incorrect measurements, ingredient substitution, and improper use of ingredients.
In addition, it’s best to reduce waste when possible. So many ingredients get thrown away once a recipe is complete. I’ll give you ideas for repurposing those leftover ingredients from a recipe.
Baking Basics for Beginners
Some aspects of baking are technical. That isn’t to say that baking is too hard. Baking techniques seem daunting because they’re unfamiliar. When you first start baking it may feel like learning another language. When you start focusing on too many details, it can get overwhelming. For best results, take things step-by-step and focus on the basics.
Measuring Spoons: First, measuring spoons measure ingredients with accuracy. Every baker should have a set of measuring spoons. Avoid using the spoons in your silverware drawer to measure ingredients. Doing so can result in inaccurate measurements. This can lead to issues with flavor or leavening. For instance, baking powder can be over or under-measured. As a result, muffins may overflow or won’t rise enough. Always use measuring spoons when baking from scratch.
Measuring Flour – Aside from measuring spoons, measuring flour can easily be misunderstood. Did you know using a kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure flour? One cup of flour is supposed to weigh between 140 and 145 grams.
To measure flour with dry measuring cups, spoon in flour into the measuring cup. Level the excess with a knife. My flour keeper has a leveler that makes the process quick and easy.
In short, remember to spoon and level the flour to maintain consistency.
Does Ingredient Temperature Matter
Room temperature ingredients are more important than you may think. Sometimes it may seem like an inconvenience. It may be tempting to skip bringing your butter to room temperature, but this is the worst thing you can do. Bypassing this step can create several problems. It can cause cupcakes to sink in the middle or dense desserts. You can avoid these problems by utilizing These baking tips for beginners.
To further explain, dairy ingredients like eggs, call for that extra step of bringing the ingredients to room temperature. When the ingredients are similar in temperature, it makes it easier to mix them.
Room temperature ingredients are between 60° – 68° Fahrenheit. Use an instant-read thermometer to determine this. It completely takes the guessing out of the equation.
How to Bring Butter to Room Temperature
How quickly you can bring your butter to room temperature depends on the season. During the colder months, it takes longer. Butter becomes room temperature between 30 minutes to an hour when you leave it out during the summer. When baking during the Winter, take your butter out early in the morning so that your butter has enough time to reach room temperature before you start.
It’s tempting to skip this step and put the butter in the microwave for a quick easy fix but avoid this at all costs. The microwave causes the ingredients to rise in temperature rapidly. In just a few seconds you can overheat your butter or eggs. Using the microwave to achieve room temperature can affect the consistency, resulting in ingredients with uneven temperatures.
For example, heating butter in the microwave can cause parts of the butter to be at a higher temperature than others. When butter is at the proper temperature it allows all the ingredients to incorporate together in a way that makes the dessert stable. Therefore, an instant-read food thermometer is such an important part of the baking process. Some stores carry waterproof food thermometers that are far more durable. I use an instant-read thermometer during the baking process.
Salt VS Kosher Salt
Next, salt is an essential ingredient for baking. Salt is found in almost every recipe. I’ll go over important baking tips for beginners regarding salt.
Avoid substituting kosher salt with the same amount of plain salt or sea salt. When substituting kosher salt with plain salt, decrease the amount of salt in the recipe. For instance, if a recipe calls for a teaspoon of kosher salt, then use 1/2 teaspoon of plain salt.
Furthermore, there are two major brands of kosher salt. You’re bound to come across one of these brands at the grocery store. Diamond Kosher Salt and Morton Kosher Salt are the most well-known brands by far. Sometimes you can find Diamond Kosher Salt at Trader Joe’s. Since these ingredients are packaged in large boxes they’re hard to miss.
Diamond Kosher salt and Morton Kosher Salt should be measured differently.
Diamond Kosher Salt: When using Diamond Kosher Salt in a recipe, use more salt.
Morton Kosher Salt: When using Morton Kosher Salt in a recipe, use less salt. For example, in a recipe that calls for 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Kosher Salt, you can use 1/4 teaspoon Morton Kosher Salt.
Now, you may be wondering how this can negatively affect your baking. Diamond Crystal and Morton have different textures and tastes. To demonstrate, we’ll reference the recipe example. If a recipe calls for 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Kosher Salt and you use 3/4 teaspoon Morton Kosher Salt, your dessert will taste saltier.
In short, make sure to adjust the amount of kosher salt to complement the flavors in the recipe.
Egg Yolks and Egg whites
Sometimes recipes call for egg whites. Likewise, you may be following a recipe that only needs egg yolks. If you throw away the leftover ingredients, you lose the opportunity to make another round of delicious desserts! So, what can you do with those extra egg whites and egg yolks?
First, save the yolks to bake desserts that only require egg yolks, like chocolate chunk cookies.
Second, you can use the egg whites to make meringue, French macarons, or meringue cookies. In the end, you may have many homemade desserts in your kitchen. I consider that to be an excellent problem to have.
Baking Tips for Repurposing Vanilla Bean
Vanilla bean is a valuable ingredient. Vanilla grows near the equator. Naturally, when something only grows in a specific region, the price is very expensive. The price of 2 vanilla beans can cost up to $22.00!
Consider saving your vanilla bean to make homemade vanilla extract. Making homemade vanilla extract is simple. A flavorful vanilla extract that can last years contains vanilla beans, seeds, and vodka.
Why Fresh Orange Peel Is Best
Lastly, orange peel is an ingredient that you can use for multiple purposes. A little goes a long way. Before juicing oranges, use a microplane to remove the orange zest. I like to use orange peel (zest) to make cranberry orange bread or to add flavor when cooking. Dried orange peel is an expensive ingredient. Fresh orange peel adds a unique flavor that’s bright and slightly acidic. Why splurge on the expensive stuff when you can use the real thing?
Practice Mise En Place
Mise en place is a French term that focuses on the importance of preparation. When a baker practices mise en place this means the baker is gathering the ingredients needed for the recipe. Having your ingredients organized before you start the baking process ensures that everything is put into place.
In addition, mise en place is a common practice among pastry chefs in professional kitchens. When you forget to add ingredients to a recipe, it can completely alter the results. For instance, if you forget to add baking powder to your cake batter, the cake will not rise. Practicing mis en place prevents mistakes like this.
Practice these baking tips for beginners to bake with more precision.
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