TIPS ON BAKING

April 30, 2012 Alison Lambert

Tips for baking

· Ingredients must be measured exactly

· The order in which ingredients are combined, must be correct

· The temperature of the ingredients when they are mixed has to be suitable for the preparation method – if the fat is too cold in a creaming recipe, for example it is likely to curdle when the eggs are added.

· The time and temperature at which the ingredients are cooked must be carefully controlled - get to know your oven, settings positions that work

· Planning in advance – read through the recipe, preheat the oven, measure out all your ingredients, prepare tins

· Do not over mix mixtures as you can take the air out of it which prevents rising, toughen the dough (peaks form in cakes/muffins)

Baking terms

Rubbing in – this describes the process of blending the fat and flour to get a sandy mixture for short and sweet pastry.

Relaxing or resting (pastry) – leaving short and sweet pastry in a cool place before and after rolling. This gives the starch in the flour time to absorb the liquids more evenly. It also helps the fat firm up so the pastry keeps a better texture, shape and cuts more easily, and shrinks less when cooking.

Creaming - the fat and sugar are beaten together until they make a light, fluffy, creamy mixture

Whisking – the eggs and sugar are whisked (sometimes over hot water) until they become light and creamy, and doubled in volume

Folding – gently folding dry ingredients into wet with a folding and cutting motion.

Greasing – preparing the baking container

Glazing – scones can be brushed with egg wash before cooking, to produce a golden finish after cooking.