Many of you probably love eating desserts and bakery treats at cafes. Perhaps you have even thought about trying to bake something delicious yourself. Before you start, it helps to know a few steps that will make baking easier.
Here are some simple steps to help you understand the principles and order of baking. Let's take a look.
1) Get Prepared and Understand the Recipe
Each dessert can be made from many different recipes, such as low-sugar or low-fat versions. Understanding the recipe and its ingredients is important because it tells you which ingredients can stand in for anything you are missing while still keeping the flavour and original character of the bake.
2) Weigh and Measure Precisely
In baking, if the ingredient ratios are wrong, your bake may not turn out with the texture and flavour you want. So check first that your scales are accurate. Scales used for measuring baking ingredients must meet proper standards and should have a fine scale. Also pay close attention to the amount of each ingredient you need.
3) Mix the Right Way
Mixing is a delicate process. Some ingredients can go in all at once, while others need to be added gradually, and timing matters. Mixing for too long or leaving the mixture to stand too long can make the bake chewy or hard. Mixing in a place that is too hot can stop the mixture from whipping up, leaving it runnier than it should be. Most importantly, make sure everything is well combined with no lumps left behind.
4) Bake Until Fragrant and Golden
Before baking, check how your recipe needs to be baked: whether top or bottom heat should be stronger, whether to turn on the fan to circulate air during baking, and whether the temperature needs adjusting partway through. The size of your oven also affects the result. And while baking, don't open the oven door, as the temperature may change and affect the texture.
Not so hard, right? Now that you know the steps for getting started with baking, it's time to get going.
