The Dos and Dough-nts of Mixing

Ever wonder why your cake turned out tough or why your cookies are too hard? The answer most likely lies in the amount of time you mixed your dough for. Many recipes have a specific time to mix the dough. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to make sure you follow that specific time. Disastrous things can happen if you don’t. The reason behind this lies in the science of baking, yep I’m bringing that word up again: science. The science behind dough begins with gluten. Gluten is a protein that forms by mixing flour and water. Gluten is responsible for allowing baked goods to expand. Over mixing can cause the extra formation of gluten which can lead to many problems while baking. Some problems for example:

• ·        Cake is tough or crumbly
• ·        Cookies are too hard
• ·        Pie dough is too tough
• ·        Yeast bread spilt or burst crust

Undermixing dough can also cause problems such as:

• ·         Sticky dough
• ·         Pie crust edges fall over
• ·         Biscuits do not come out flaky

The mixing stage in baking can be considered the most important step. So if you take anything away from this blog at all DON’T OVER MIX OR UNDER MIX YOUR DOUGH!! If mixing is done wrong, there is absolutely no way of correcting it. Use discipline and set that timer for the exact amount of mixing time required. 

For more baking tips visit our website at http://bakeeasyco.webs.com/

Cooking vs Baking: Estimation Doesn't Work

One day I decided I would bake my favorite cinnamon apple cake. I was so excited for my cinnamon apple cake to bake up perfectly soft and delicious, but when it came out of the oven it tasted like…well cardboard. It was too salty, not sweet, and just not like a cinnamon apple cake should taste. The problem? I wasn’t paying close attention to my measurements.

Baking is not very forgiving.  Estimating the measurements of an ingredient in a recipe spells disaster. By eye-balling flour, sugar, and over estimating a teaspoon of baking soda, the idea of a perfect cake will crash and burn. You’ll end up pulling a sheet of cardboard out of the oven.

Thankfully, after my apple cake disaster I learned my lesson.

Many people when they bake get the idea that estimation will work just fine. But do they really know exactly what a teaspoon looks like?

The most common baking problem I see with amateur bakers comes from the lack of proper measurement.  

A common misconception is “I estimate when I when I cook other things so why not these cookies?” Well you don’t cook cookies, you bake them. Baking and cooking are completely different things.

Baking is a combination of chemistry and physics. It’s a lot like science. Baking a cake gives the same results when the same ingredients and amounts are used, under the same conditions, following the same steps.

So while a “dash” of salt may work when you’re cooking chicken, it will not work when baking. A teaspoon is needed to make sure your baked good comes out perfect.

Point of the matter is USE MEASURING TOOLS!

                      

About Me

Hi, I’m Sarah Stewart and I write the blog Baking Advice for the Amateur Baker. I created this blog to help amateur bakers improve upon their baking skills.

I started baking when I was just eight years old making chocolate chip cookies with my mom. My responsibilities at that time included mixing the dough… and licking the spoon afterwards. I have continued to bake since then; however, I moved up the ladder from spoon licker to lead baker in my household.

Baking has been such a crucial part of my life. When I’m stressed, I bake. When I want to spend time with my family, I bake. When I’m bored, I bake. When I’m hungry, I bake.

I have developed my own baking skills through years of practice and I want to share my knowledge in a way that will help people who don’t have years of experience or the years to spend to gain it.

I created this blog to help people who just can’t seem to figure out how the whole baking thing works. I will introduce simple steps and helpful tips in baking that will greatly improve even the most klutzy baker’s baking skills.

Along with this blog I have developed a website that shares easy-to-follow recipes that take a person step-by-step through the baking process.

For more tips and easy-to-follow recipes visit my website http://www.bakeeasyco.webs.com.