Holiday Baking Tips

[ 1 ] November 16, 2009 | The Hungarian Girl

: Tis the season for baking.

Here’s a list of handy tips to help make your holiday baking a success.

Happy baking!

Basic Techniques

• Assemble the bowls, pans, and utensils you will need on your counter or work table before starting.
• Always sift your dry ingredients to remove any lumps and to add air.
• Dry ingredients should be combined together thoroughly in one bowl before you combine them with liquids.
• Always use the correct pan size in a recipe to avoid burning or over brimming when baking. To calculate the pan’s width, measure across the top from the inside edge across to the inside edge.
• An oven usually has “hot spots”, meaning that one corner of it might be a few degrees higher in temperature than the rest. Place your recipe in the center of your oven to ensure even heating.
• Check to see if your recipe is done by inserting a toothpick into the batter. If the toothpick comes out clean, your recipe is done.

Equipment

• When selecting mixing bowls, consider steel or copper bowls as they are durable and can be heated.
• If you bake regularly, buy a good-quality stand mixer. It will save you time and improve your recipes.
• Get an oven thermometer. Oven temperatures can often be off by 25°F to 50°F, which can seriously affect your baking results.
• Never wash or soak a wooden rolling pin in water! Once you are finished with it, wipe off any flour or leftover dough with a dampened cloth. As soon as you have cleaned the wooden rolling pin to your satisfaction, wipe the rolling pin again with a dry cloth.

Ingredients

• Use large-sized eggs, unsalted butter and nuts, and pure extracts of vanilla or almond.
• Butter, eggs and milk should be at room temperature.
• Freshness is critical. If you don’t know the expiry date or remember when you purchased a particular ingredient, discard it.
• Try adding dried fruit, cheese, nuts, grains, seeds or herbs and spices to the flour in your recipes. It will add a whole new dimension to your baking!

Measuring and Weighing

• Use metal or plastic measuring cups for dry ingredients, and glass or clear plastic with a pour spout for liquids.
• To firmly pack brown sugar into your measuring cup, as the cup fills, press the sugar down firmly with a spoon or your fingers, and then level off with a butter knife or with the top of a flat spatula. The brown sugar should just hold its shape when turned out of the cup.

Share this post: